Kelly

There are all kinds of cholesterol lowering foods, and you will find that adding these foods to lower cholesterol to your diet is probably one of the most important things you can do if you want to keep your cholesterol levels under control.

While exercise, medication, and lifestyle changes are important, the thing that will have the greatest impact on your cholesterol levels is the food that you eat.

If you are serious about keeping your cholesterol in check, try adding the foods below to your diet and watch your cholesterol levels return to normal:

1) SOY Is Great – Isoflavones Will Combat Your Bad Cholesterol Levels

Soy is an amazing food that will do wonders to cut back on your cholesterol levels, and this kind of protein will do wonders for your body.

Soy protein contains lots of amino acids, but it contains none of the fat that you find in animal proteins.

There are isoflavones in the soy that will have an excellent effect on your bad cholesterol level – lowering it of course – so you would do well to add a bit of soy to your low cholesterol foods diet.

Oats also contain a good deal of protein, but they contain almost no fat as well. This means that you can make your exercise more effective, but you won’t increase your cholesterol levels.

The best thing about oats is that they are rich in fiber, and fiber is one of the most effective nutrients to help reduce your cholesterol levels.

Fiber actually bonds with the cholesterol particles in your intestines, which will help to prevent them from being absorbed by your body. The fiber ensures that cholesterol is sent out the waste disposal exit, and thus your body can naturally get rid of the cholesterol on its own thanks to all the fiber in the oats.

3) BEANS Are Effective Like Oats – The Fiber Also Bonds with the Cholesterol

Beans are another excellent source of protein, and are in fact considered the best of the low-fat protein foods.

Beans contain lots of the soluble fiber the bonds with the cholesterol particles and prevents them from being absorbed, so you can see why they are so effective.

The best thing about eating beans as a cholesterol lowering food: there are many different kinds of beans that you can enjoy in your cholesterol lowering foods diet – meaning you won’t ever get tired of eating them.

4) AVOCADO Is Very Healthy in Many Ways – Lots of Unsaturated Fat and Fiber That Raise Your Good HDL Cholesterol

Avocado is an interesting vegetable, as it contains a lot of fiber but also contains a good deal of fat as well.

However, rather than being the saturated fat that raises your cholesterol, it is the unsaturated fat that your body NEEDS in order to work well. So even though avocado is fat – it is very healthy fat.

You can actually raise your good HDL cholesterol by eating avocadoes, but you would do well to limit your consumption – as fat is fat no matter what form it’s in.

Salmon also contains a lot of fat, but again it is the good kind of fat that will boost your body’s production of the good cholesterol.

However, the salmon really packs a punch due to the high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids it contains. These fatty acids will help your body to get rid of triglycerides – a form of cholesterol that is basically fat being stored by the body.

They can also help to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack, giving you a chance to reduce your cholesterol before anything bad happens.

Garlic contains allicin, a special compound containing sulfur. This compound is a natural blood thinner, which means that your blood is much less likely to form clots as a result of the cholesterol.

However, it can also prevent the cholesterol floating around your body turning into hardened plaque, plaque that can crack and cause blood clots. It can also effectively stop the cholesterol particles from bonding to your arterial walls, acting like a protection against the harmful fatty particles.

7) TEA Boosts Good Cholesterol – An Antioxidant Treasure

Tea doesn’t seem like it would be an effective food to lower cholesterol, but the truth is that green and black tea both contain polyphenols – a powerful antioxidant.

These antioxidants help to prevent the cholesterol from hardening into plaque on the walls of your arteries, but they can also help to boost your body’s natural levels of good cholesterol.

Boosting your good cholesterol is key to lowering bad cholesterol levels, so drink a cup or two of tea a day to fight off your cholesterol.

Chocolate is another surprising addition to the list, as you would think that chocolate contains a lot of sugar and fat.

Well, the milk and white chocolate does, but natural, unsweetened, and bittersweet chocolate all contain very small amounts of sugar.

What the dark chocolate does contain is flavonoids, which are responsible for giving the chocolate its dark color. These flavonoids act as an antioxidant to prevent clogs in your arteries, so eat a bit of dark chocolate (no sugar if possible) in order to protect against high cholesterol.

Nuts are rich in fiber, which, as mentioned above, is one of the most important things to get a lot of if you are trying to fit off your cholesterol.

However, nuts also contain natural oils that your body puts to good use, using it to boost the production of good cholesterol in the body. Nuts contain all kinds of minerals and vitamins that will lower your bad cholesterol, meaning that your total cholesterol levels will go down as well.

Spinach is rich in lutein, which is a special coloring nutrient that gives the leafy green its dark green color.

Lutein is effective at preventing the cells in your body from breaking down, but it also helps to coat your arterial walls with a special layer that will basically “shrug off” the cholesterol particles that would stick to them. Spinach is also rich in fiber, and it really packs a punch against cholesterol.

Wow, all of these foods are great at lowering cholesterol, AND they taste great as well! Following a low cholesterol diet doesn’t mean a lot of anguish, suffering, and eating foods you really don’t like, but it does mean eating these delicious foods above that will help to keep your cholesterol under control.

Following a cholesterol lowering diet is important, as your diet to control high cholesterol is as important for lowering your cholesterol as doing lots of exercise.

You can avoid the high cholesterol symptoms and effects of high cholesterol by following a few simple cholesterol guidelines, and avoiding foods high in cholesterol in favor of low cholesterol foods is important.

You can find ways of naturally lowering cholesterol with cholesterol lowering foods, and a diet to lower high cholesterol will be the secret to your success.

What are Some High Cholesterol Symptoms?

Before getting into some of the foods that you need to eat in your cholesterol lowering diet, it is important to know what the various high cholesterol symptoms are.

In reality, there will not be too many indications that you have high cholesterol, as it is not something that causes visible results. You won’t suddenly turn purple, your foot won’t turn into a Godzilla foot, and you won’t sprout giant acne from your face.

A Few Extra Pounds Might Indicate a Problem with High Cholesterol

However, one good indication that you may have high cholesterol is the inner tube around your midsection. Those that have a few extra pounds in places where they shouldn’t are usually the ones with high cholesterol, as the extra weight means more fat in their body due to improper diet and lack of exercise.

The obesity is the visible symptom of the high fat content in your body, and high cholesterol levels are the invisible but very dangerous symptoms.

Chest Pains May Mean Too Much Cholesterol in Your Body

If there is too much cholesterol in your body, one of the most common symptoms that you will experience is probably going to be chest pains.

When your body can’t circulate enough blood through your body, it causes pains in your heart due to the fact that your poor heart is working double time to try to get blood through your body.

You will probably feel minor pains at first, though the pains may eventually develop into sharp, agonizing pains known as heart attacks.

If It Runs in the Family

Many people need to be aware of these high cholesterol symptoms, especially if their family has a history of heart disease.

Those older than 40 years old are already at risk of high cholesterol and heart problems, and those that smoke, drink too much, and have high blood pressure have a much higher chance of serious problems developing.

Keeping an eye on your weight can help you to be wary of potential problems.

Effects of High Cholesterol

If you notice that your body is getting overweight, it is important to get tested for high cholesterol and start yourself on a cholesterol lowering diet before things get out of hand.

If you don’t following a diet to control high cholesterol, you may end up with some of the serious effects of high cholesterol:

Angina – Angina is the fancy medical term for chest pain, but it is also one of the side effects of high cholesterol. As mentioned above, it is both a symptom and a side effect, as the cholesterol clots prevent the blood from reaching the heart and causes pain.

Stroke – When the cholesterol accumulates along the walls of your arteries, it tends to oxidize and harden into a plaque-like substance. When too much plaque forms, it can prevent the blood from flowing properly through the arteries. When there is a clot around the brain, the blood vessels trying to feed blood to your brain cannot get through the blockage. Your brain basically dies a little bit when it can’t get oxygen, and this is a stroke.

Heart attack – A heart attack is basically the same thing as a stroke, with the only difference being that the clot forms in one of the blood vessels pumping blood to your heart instead of to your brain. Either way, it can be as potentially fatal and as incredibly serious as a stroke is.

Arrhythmias – When your heart has to work overtime to pump blood through your arteries and veins due to the blockages or constricted passageways, there is often the risk that arrhythmias will set in. Arrhythmias is basically your heart beating a strange beat, as it hard to work harder and pump extra to get enough blood to the entire body.

High blood pressure – The constriction and obstruction of the blood vessels forces your hard to work extra hard to get the blood running through your veins properly, and thus your heart will start to get more tired due to the high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a serious problem that can lead to a heart attack or heart failure, and is something that should be avoided at all costs.

Atherosclerosis – Atherosclerosis is the name given to the condition when your veins and arteries narrow. Normally the walls of your blood vessels are flexible and can move, but atherosclerosis causes them to get very stiff and constricted. Your blood won’t be able to pass through the vessels, and the risk of cracks appearing is much higher. Atherosclerosis can either block the blood vessels partially or completely, but it is very serious either way.

Peripheral artery disease – If you have a clot or a blockage in a certain part of your body – usually your extremities or the periphery – this is known as peripheral artery disease. This means that the arteries feeding blood to your legs, arms, or other extremity are blocked, meaning that your limb isn’t getting enough blood. This can result in serious muscle atrophy or other damage.

These are just a few of the effects of high cholesterol, but it is important to be very aware that any of these effects can result in death. Preventing these side effects by following a cholesterol lowering diet is of the utmost importance if you want to live a long and happy life.

Cholesterol Lowering Diet: Cholesterol Guidelines

Do you want some cholesterol guidelines that can help you to know what to eat, how much of certain things to add to your diet, and how to remain healthy and keep your cholesterol levels low?

Read on…

1. Cut Down on Saturated Fat

Saturated fat is the kind of fat that causes heart disease, so it is important that you keep your consumption of saturated fats to as low a level as possible.

Lower than 7% of your daily total caloric intake is the recommended amount.

2. Reduce Trans Fats

Trans fats are just as bad as saturated fats, but they are found in oils and processed foods instead of dairy products.

Cut down the amount of foods you consume that contain these trans fats, as they are directly linked to heart problems and high cholesterol.

3. Limit Plyunsaturated Fats

Polyunsaturated fats are usually found in natural oils made from seeds, and these fats can be good for you in limited amounts.

If you can consume no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake in the form of these fats, you should be able to keep your LDL cholesterol very low.

4. Keep Monounsaturated Fats Controlled

Monounsaturated fats are also found in natural oils, and these fats can be beneficial for your body if you keep consumption limited.

The recommended amount of these fats that you should eat is 20%, but it should be balanced out to ensure that you are getting very limited amounts of fat in your diet.

5. Limit All Fats

The total amount of your diet that should be fats is between 25 and 35 percent, though it is always best to stay towards the lower end of this number.

6. Increase Your Fiber Intake

If you can get at least 20 to 30 grams of fiber on a daily basis, you can bet that your body will naturally be able to get rid of the cholesterol on its own.

It will be hard to consume this much fiber, but it is the most effective way to get rid of all the nasty cholesterol.

7. Consume the Right Amount of Calories

This is one of the most important things to keep in mind as you are planning your cholesterol lowering diet: your total caloric intake should be lower than the amount you burn.

If you consume more calories than you burn, your body will store the excess as fat. If you consume less than you burn, your body will dip into the reserves of fat around the body, and will burn up your cholesterol.

Make sure that you know exactly how many calories your body needs to be healthy, and try to consume at least 500 calories fewer than that number.

These are a few cholesterol guidelines to help you stay healthy and have a long and happy life.

Your Diet to Lower High Cholesterol

If you want to follow a true cholesterol lowering diet, you will have to figure out which foods are the best to eat. Here are some tips to help you with your diet to lower high cholesterol:

Eat more fish. Fish is one of the best things that you can eat, as it is very rich in protein, contains very little fat when compared to meat, usually contains Omega 3 and other fatty acids, and contains more minerals and nutrients than meat. Eating more fish will help you to remain healthy.

Start cooking properly. Rather than deep frying foods, slathering your bread with butter, and eating a lot of foods that are processed or refined, start cooking healthy foods to eat. Focus on eating more whole grains, and stop eating full fat dairy products when low fat will do.

Plan your diet. If you want to succeed with any diet, you have to be sure that you are getting the right foods in the right amounts. You have to actually plan your diet in order to succeed, as that is the only way that you will be able to truly control the amounts of food that you are eating.

Make the right choices. Rather than reaching for a delicious, sugary snack, why not grab a piece of fruit for snack? Better yet, replace snacks with a nice green shake or a glass of water, and always make the healthy choice to avoid high cholesterol.

Want more tips on how to lower cholesterol and stay faithful to your diet? Check out the Low Fat Low Cholesterol Diet page for more information…

Cholesterol Lowering Diet: Foods to Avoid High Cholesterol

If you want to stay healthy, you will need to eat foods that will help to keep your cholesterol in check.

There are certain foods to avoid high cholesterol, and these foods will be very effective at helping you limit the amount of LDL cholesterol that remains in your body.

Make sure that you keep nuts and dried fruits as a healthy snack, and toss all the junk food from your pantry in favor of these healthy snacks.

Always have a bowl of oats to get your day started, as oats contain lots of soluble fiber that will help your body to get rid of all those unhealthy LDL particles.

Use egg substitute or egg whites to cook your meals in place of whole eggs.

Use vegetables in place of creamy sauces, or use tomato sauce for pastas.

Switch out a spoonful of white vinegar instead of butter for keeping the moisture in your pan.

Use green spices and herbs instead of butter, cream, and milk.

These are a few foods that you can use to help you as you follow a cholesterol lowering diet, and these will be an excellent addition to your diet to control high cholesterol.

Foods High in Cholesterol

Now that you know what foods you should eat, let’s take a look at a few foods you should stay away from:

Meat

Butter

Cooking Oil

Ice Cream

Full Fat Dairy

Egg Yolks

Shrimp

Organ meats

Fish eggs

Fried foods

Fast food

Oily fish

Cheese

Processed meats

Shellfish

These foods are all going to have a negative effect on your cholesterol level, so it is best to avoid these foods in your cholesterol lowering diet in order to prevent health and heart problems.

List of Low Cholesterol Foods

Want a list of the best foods that you can eat?

Here are some of the low cholesterol foods that you should try to get as much of as possible:

All fruits

All vegetables

All legumes

Low fat dairy

Soy products

Oats

Nuts and seeds

Spices and green herbs

Whole grains

Natural oils

These are the foods that you should try to get more of, but you would do well to visit your doctor or a nutritionist if you are trying to control your cholesterol. By eating these low cholesterol foods in their correct amounts, you can be sure that you are as healthy as possible.

Cholesterol Lowering Diet: Some Cholesterol Lowering Foods

If you are in a pinch and you need to lower cholesterol with a cholesterol lowering diet, there are certain foods that will be very effective at getting rid of your cholesterol.

Here are three of the best cholesterol lowering foods you can eat:

1. Oats

Oats contain lots of soluble fiber, and everyone knows that the cholesterol particles stick to the fiber particles and are eliminated by the body.

Eating a bowl of oats in the morning will help to keep your body as cholesterol free as possible, and will seriously lower your LDL cholesterol while raising your HDL cholesterol.

2. Seeds and Nuts

Most of the seeds and nuts that you can eat will be incredibly good for your health, and will be very effective at helping to lower your cholesterol.

Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, cashews and all the rest contain natural oils that will boost your body’s production of HDL cholesterol.

3. Fish

There are certain kinds of fish that contain lots of Omega 3 fatty acids, and these acids will help to dispose of all the triglycerides in your body.

Omega 3 helps to reduce your risk of heart diease and stroke as a result of its ability to prevent blood clots, so it is best to eat as much as possible of these things in order to stay healthy.

Tips for Naturally Lowering Cholesterol

Want some tips on how to lower cholesterol as naturally as possible?

Cut back on your salt consumption

Eat lots of raw foods

Check labels carefully to see ingredients

Switch up your diet

Avoid snacking at all costs

Do more exercise

Cut back on stress

Stop smoking once and for all

Eat less meat

Don’t use cooking oil

These are just a few tips that can help you with your cholesterol lowering diet.

Many people have wondered how eggs and cholesterol go hand in hand. Are they are on the list of foods to avoid high cholesterol, or do they belong on a high cholesterol food chart.

What types of cholesterol are contained in an egg, and are eggs one of the causes of high cholesterol?

Everything you need to know about egg yolk cholesterol, high cholesterol food, ways of lowering cholesterol naturally, and how to lower cholesterol can be found on this page, so stick around and read on to find out more…

Eggs and Cholesterol: Egg Yolk Cholesterol

When it comes to cholesterol, eggs have always been in the “suspect” category, along with shrimp, lean meats, and Mrs. Peacock in the library with the knife.

Many people have read the hundreds of pages on the internet related to eggs and cholesterol, and the conflicting answers of “Yes, eggs are good for you” and “No, eggs will send you to an early grave” can be kind of confusing.

If you are one of the many people around the world that wishes the internet would just make up its mind regarding eggs and cholesterol, you will be delighted to know that there is a definitive answer for you.

The answer comes in three parts:

Part 1: Egg Whites Are Excellent for You

The egg whites are the part of the egg that contains the majority of the protein, along with most of the other nutrients and minerals that your body needs.

Those on high cholesterol diets are usually recommended to switch out whole eggs for egg whites, as the egg white contains all of the goodness of the egg.

In addition, none of the cholesterol that you normally find in your eggs are contained in the egg whites, meaning that you can get all of the good stuff with none of the bad stuff.

You can enjoy eating many egg whites a day without having to worry about getting high cholesterol, so enjoy the whites with a bit of salt or added to your food.

Part 2: Egg Yolks Contain Bad Cholesterol

Now we take a look at the yolk, which is unfortunately the part of your egg where all of the cholesterol and most of the taste lies.

Everyone who has ever made an egg white omelet knows that most of the delicious egg flavor lies in the yolk. The sad news is that all of the cholesterol in the eggs are also contained in the yolk, making them a bit problematic for those with high cholesterol.

If you have high cholesterol, it is recommended that you cut out eggs altogether in order to avoid causing it to worsen. Even if your cholesterol is only moderately high, you will find that cutting out egg yolks will be the secret to staving off high cholesterol.

Part 3: Egg Yolks in Moderation May not Kill You

There is, however, a small light on the horizon of the gloomy, eggless world that you see for yourself down the road of high cholesterol.

The good news is that eggs in moderation will not contribute to raising your blood cholesterol, meaning that you actually can eat egg yolks if you keep the number of yolks you eat to a minimum.

Studies have shown that eating fewer than 4 egg yolks a week will not raise your blood cholesterol, meaning that you can enjoy up to 4 full eggs a week without having to worry about causing heart attacks or strokes.

Caveat to Part 3: They’re Everywhere!!

Remember that eggs literally are everywhere…

You aren’t just going to find eggs in your omelet, fried eggs, or scrambled eggs, but you will be surprised when you think about the other places that you can find eggs.

You will run into eggs when biting into a piece of bread (whole or white), and eggs are hiding in the batter of that cake you are eating (naughty, naughty…No cake on a low cholesterol diet!). You will find eggs in pie crusts, cookie dough, and at least 50% of the dishes that you cook.

It is harder to avoid egg yolk cholesterol than you might think, especially if you are trying to limit yourself.

In fact, you would do well to stop eating egg yolks for breakfast, as you will probably get more than 4 egg yolks in the bread, cookies, pies, and other foods you eat that contain eggs.

It may surprise you to find that eggs are hiding in all kinds of food, so you will have to work hard to keep your egg yolk consumption down to just four per week in order to avoid cholesterol.

What are the Types of Cholesterol in an Egg?

Remember that there are two types of cholesterol:

1. Dietary cholesterol is the stuff that is in food
2. Serum cholesterol is the stuff that is in your blood

Obviously dietary cholesterol is the stuff that is found in eggs, but what is the difference between the two?

Simple: serum cholesterol is the stuff that causes arterial blockages and heart problems, and it is produced by the body rather than by the food you eat.

However, the dietary cholesterol in the food you eat can still cause problems, so it is important to avoid lots of the stuff.

Eggs contain just under 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol, and you are recommended to eat no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day even if you are in tip top shape.

Those with high cholesterol are recommended to eat only 200 milligrams or less, so the dietary cholesterol in eggs can cause problems if not consumed in moderation.

Why Study a High Cholesterol Food Chart…

When it comes to finding what foods are good for you and which are not, the high cholesterol food chart is a good one to study.

There are many foods that are on this high cholesterol food chart, and the sad news is that many of your favorite foods, dishes, and desserts are probably on the list.

But why should you study the high cholesterol food chart in the first place?

Remember that cholesterol needs to be controlled in order to prevent it from causing heart problems, such as dying.

But how can you know how to control your cholesterol if you don’t know what is causing it in the first place? Obviously there are other things that you need to worry about, such as your lifestyle, your drinking and smoking habits, your weight, and your exercise.

However, when it comes to keeping cholesterol in check, the food you eat and the diet you follow will play a central role.

In reality, keeping your cholesterol in check is nearly impossible if you don’t take care to avoid foods high in cholesterol.

The list of foods to avoid high cholesterol is quite extensive, and you can enjoy cooking and preparing many tasty dishes with this list of foods. However, the high cholesterol foods that you need to avoid are numerous, and you have to study the chart of foods high in cholesterol in order to be certain that you are avoiding the foods that contain the most cholesterol.

Sure, you don’t need to spend every minute of your day worrying if you are eating the “wrong” thing, but studying the list and remembering what is on it will help you to know exactly what foods are right and which are wrong.

If you can eat as many of the “right” foods and as few of the “wrong” foods as possible, you can do your part to keep your high cholesterol under control.

High Cholesterol Foods are Usually Your Favorite

It’s funny how many people check out the list of high cholesterol foods, and their heart slowly sinks into their stomach as they realize that most of the foods they like are on that list.

Think about it: pizza, steak, burgers, ice cream, butter, cakes, cookies, and many more dishes are on the list of things you can’t eat if you are trying to control your cholesterol.

All you can eat are whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and you don’t even like these things.

This is then where the problem lies.

If you notice that all of the foods you like are on the list of foods you can’t eat, it can be hard to face the fact that you have problems with your diet.

If you don’t find any of your favorite foods on the list of foods to avoid high cholesterol, it is probable that your diet is contributing to your cholesterol.

For this reason, you have to start changing your dietary habits today. Sure, very few people go from loving a delicious juicy steak to falling in love with a tasty cucumber tomato salad from one day to the next, and it will take time to change your habits.

However, think about how much better life will be without your having to worry about keeling over from a sudden heart attack or stroke as a result of your high cholesterol. That is a great incentive to help you work on changing your eating habits, and you might just be surprised when you find out just how tasty some of the healthy foods can be when prepared right.

Eggs and Cholesterol: How to Lower LDL Cholesterol with Exercise

If you want to know how to lower LDL cholesterol, the secret actually lies in your following a healthy diet and lifestyle plan.

That lifestyle plan includes exercise, and you might be amazed when you see just how much of a difference you can make in your life with a healthy diet and good exercise.

Did you know:

You can raise your HDL cholesterol by as much as 6% just by doing exercise

You can lower your LDL cholesterol by up to 10% with regular exercise

Amazing, isn’t it?

But what kind of exercise should you do if you want to lower cholesterol?

Simple: any kind of exercise you want. Too many people avoid doing exercise because it seems boring and repetitive, but the truth is that exercise can take on many forms. Don’t like jogging? Try going for a bike ride.

When it comes down to it, the type of exercise you do doesn’t really matter provided that you are burning fat and building muscle.

LDL cholesterol can be significantly decreased if you just do 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily at least 5 days a week. You don’t have to work yourself to total exhaustion, but you can take a walk, go running, cycle around town, or sign up for a class.

Don’t worry about doing something you think you should do, but find a form of exercise that will be fun for you. The fun exercises are the ones that you will actually stick with, so sign up for something that you will be faithful with and that will help you keep your cholesterol in check.

Other Ways of Lowering Cholesterol Naturally

Now that you know about how to lower LDL cholesterol with exercise, and you know all about eating the right foods (the ones not on the high cholesterol foods list), here are a few more things you can do if you are interested in lowering cholesterol naturally:

1. Stop Coffee Intake – Coffee boosts your energy levels in the morning, but it also boosts your cholesterol levels. If you are serious about fighting your cholesterol problems, you would do well to stop drinking coffee or any stronger forms of caffeine.

2. Cut Back Stress – Stress produces cortisol, which is a powerful hormone that messes with your body’s internal balance. It also causes more cholesterol to be produced, so it is essential that you find ways to cut back on the stress in your life if you are serious about lowering cholesterol naturally.

3. Avoid Alcoholic Beverages – Many people read that a drink or two a day is actually good for your cholesterol, and they start out their diet thinking that it will be easy to keep their consumption moderate. When they end up drinking many more drinks per day, their cholesterol levels go through the roof. For this reason, you may want to consider avoiding alcohol altogether.

4. Live More Actively – Many people find that they can come home to a nice relaxing evening sitting on the couch, but hold on! Where is the exercise? Even if you don’t think you have time to do exercise in the evening, you can at least do activities that will be more active. Find ways to get more activity in your life, and see the cholesterol melt away.

Sure these things sound almost too simplistic for you to do if you want to lower your cholesterol, but the truth is that cholesterol is not some demon that has to be exorcised via the power of prayer or magic.

It does have to be EXERCISED, but you can use these few simple lifestyle changes to help you lower your cholesterol as easily and naturally as possible.

Causes of High Cholesterol

We know so much about how to get rid of cholesterol, but what causes it in the first place?

Here are a few things that contribute to cholesterol:

Age – People that are older tend to have a higher risk of cholesterol.

Gender – Men have a higher risk of cholesterol than women, and they start being threatened by it earlier than their female counterparts.

Lifestyle – Those that smoke, drink, and eat too much without enough exercise will always have higher cholesterol than those that live moderate lives.

Weight – Those that are overweight are much more likely to have high cholesterol than those who are at optimal weight.

Diet – Everyone knows that diet is responsible for cholesterol.

Now that you know the things that cause cholesterol, you can do your part to prevent it.

Eggs and Cholesterol: How to Lower Cholesterol Through Diet

You can very effectively control your cholesterol with your diet, and, if you want to know how to lower cholesterol, you will find that the food you eat will have a powerful effect on your cholesterol.

What to eat, what to eat?

Fiber

Whole grains

Lean proteins

Low fat foods

Nuts and other foods containing natural oils

Fish

What to avoid?

Fats

Sugar

Fatty meats

Processed meat

Salty foods

Snacks

Desserts

Simple enough, right?

You will find that your diet is one of the main factors in your cholesterol levels, so you would do well to watch the foods you put in your mouth if you want to have a long, healthy, and cholesterol-free life.

Niacin for cholesterol is one of the most effective cholesterol lowering supplements, but there are many cholesterol treatment options, cholesterol medications, and ways to lower cholesterol using the medical route. If your doctor looks at your cholesterol readings after a cholesterol check and turns a shade of green that you only see on a very sick fish, your next question should be, “So, Doc, what do I need to take to regain normal cholesterol levels?”

Interested in finding out more about using niacin to lower cholesterol? If so, below you will find all the information you could want on niacin and cholesterol both.

Niacin for Cholesterol: Cholesterol Medications

Before getting into niacin for cholesterol, let’s take a look at some of the cholesterol lowering medications you can take. Some of these cholesterol meds will be prescribed by doctors, while others are simple over the counter cholesterol medications. Regardless of the type of medication, it is important to know what to expect from the meds you are taking:

Statins – Statins are usually prescribed for those with high cholesterol, and it is given to increase your HDL cholesterol while lowering both LDL and triglycerides. The side effects of statins include constipation, diarrhea, muscle soreness, and stomach pain, among others.

Bile Acid Binding Resins – These resins are given to prevent the bile acid from forming into cholesterol particles, and they can be effective at decreasing LDL cholesterol by preventing the body from producing the particles. Be prepared for constipation, nausea, gas, bloating, and a risk of increased triglyceride levels.

Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors – These amazing inhibitors will actually stop your body from absorbing the cholesterol, and will help to elevate your HDL cholesterol levels while reducing the levels of LDL and triglycerides both. The side effects of this medication include muscle soreness, fatigue, and stomach pain.

Fibrates – Fibrates are excellent for decreasing your triglycerides, but they also help to up your HDL cholesterol levels slightly. However, stomach pain and nausea or two of the primary side effects of this drug, and many have found that gallstones have developed as a result of taking fibrates.

These are the cholesterol medications that are most commonly prescribed by doctors, but they have proven to be fairly effective. If you insist on taking the medical route, your doctor will usually recommend one or two of these drugs according to your levels of cholesterol. Some doctors will prescribe statins and niacin for cholesterol, while others will combine statins with cholesterol absorption inhibitors. Combining the drugs often increases their effectiveness, but it can often increase the side effects as well.

Niacin for Cholesterol: Cholesterol Treatment Options

Most people requiring cholesterol treatment will try the TLC diet, also known as the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet. This diet helps to cut back on the amount of cholesterol in your body, and will help you to prevent more serious problems from developing. The amount of cholesterol treatment that will be required will usually depend on how high your chances of having a heart attack are according to how high your cholesterol levels are:

Low Risk – Most people with a low risk of heart problems due to low cholesterol will usually try the TLC diet for a few months, and this often helps to lower the cholesterol levels without the need for any drugs or medications. The heart healthy diet is usually followed by those worried about heart problems, but who don’t have very high levels of cholesterol.

Moderate Risk – Those that stand a higher chance of heart problems due to slightly elevated cholesterol usually try to get their LDL cholesterol level below 130. If the diet still hasn’t worked after 3 months of eating right, your doctor may prescribe one of the above medications in order to prevent problems.

High Risk – If you have a high risk of heart problems as a result of your high cholesterol, it is likely that you will try to get your LDL cholesterol below 100. The TLC diet should be able to help you achieve this goal, but medications will be prescribed when you start the diet if you have recently had a heart attack or have very high LDL cholesterol.

As you can see, the cholesterol treatment option changes according to the risk of your developing heart problems. For this reason, it is always best to have your cholesterol checked by a doctor who can help you make the right decision on which of the treatment options is for you.

Niacin for Cholesterol: The Importance of a Cholesterol Check

“Why get a cholesterol check?” you are probably wondering? The answer to that question is simple: Get the test because there are no visible symptoms.

Most people find that they had no idea that their cholesterol was so high before the cholesterol tester took a sample of their blood and analyzed it, as there really are no symptoms that can indicate that your cholesterol is high. Cholesterol really is a silent killer, and it will usually accumulate, grow, and spread unnoticed in your body. By the time that you realize you have high cholesterol, it is usually after a heart attack, chest pains, or a stroke.

For this reason, it is recommended that most people over the age of 20 get an occasional cholesterol check, usually once every five years. Children and teenagers don’t usually need to get their cholesterol checked unless they are very obese, but even adults that appear to be completely healthy should check their cholesterol every five years to ensure that the levels of cholesterol don’t get out of control.

The cholesterol test should also be administered more frequently if your family has a history of heart disease, you don’t have a very active lifestyle, you weigh more than you should for your height, you eat a lot of fatty foods in your diet, or you have diabetes. All of these conditions increase your risk of having high cholesterol levels, and this is where the cholesterol check will come in handy.

Without a cholesterol checkup, you may end up with serious heart problems that you could never have imagined. The amount of cholesterol in your body will add up until it is too much for your heart to handle, and problems will arise. For this reason, it is very important that you get your cholesterol check at least once every few years no matter how unlikely it seems that you have high cholesterol.

Niacin for Cholesterol: Use Niacin to Lower Cholesterol

Now we get down to the part about Niacin for cholesterol, the real important part of the page. As mentioned above, there are all sorts of medications, but it is usually better to go the more natural route.

Using niacin to lower cholesterol is one of the best ways to do so, as niacin is a B vitamin that is naturally effective. Niacin is also known as nicotinic acid, and it used by your body to make energy out of carbohydrates. Niacin also nourishes your hair, eyes, skin, and digestive system, and keeps all of these vital organs running properly.

Most multivitamins contain niacin, as it is one of the most important vitamins your body needs to stay healthy and function properly. You often get a good deal of niacin in the food you eat, but often it isn’t enough to keep your body working well AND lower your cholesterol. For this reason, niacin is often given to those with high cholesterol, as it is an effective treatment that will ensure that your cholesterol levels remain as low as possible.

Niacin for Cholesterol: Niacin and Cholesterol

Niacin and cholesterol have a very effective relationship, and you will find that taking niacin for cholesterol is one of the best things you can do.

What does niacin do?

It raises HDL cholesterol levels – As you know, HDL cholesterol is the good stuff that helps to take out the trash (LDL), and it is important to have levels of HDL cholesterol that are as high as possible. Niacin helps to elevate your levels of HDL cholesterol by as much as 35%, making it the most effective drug or supplement for elevating your HDL. Most other medications and supplements deal with the LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, but the beauty of niacin is that its main purpose is to increase your HDL cholesterol.

It decreases both LDL and triglycerides – Not only does niacin for cholesterol have a positive impact on raising your HDL cholesterol, but it also decreases the levels of both triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. The decrease is not as significant or drastic as the increase of HDL cholesterol, but it is enough to prevent serious heart problems. Once the HDL cholesterol is increased, however, the reduced numbers of LDL villains have no chance against the good cholesterol and thus your total cholesterol levels are lowered.

Niacin is one of the most effective supplements that you can take, as it helps to increase your HDL cholesterol levels and decrease your LDL cholesterol levels at the same time. This is a double benefit, and you will find that taking niacin for cholesterol is one of the best things you can do.

Many doctors will actually prescribe niacin along with statins, as it will double the effectiveness. Statins help to decrease the levels of LDL cholesterol significantly, and, when you stack the effects up with the HDL increase brought about by the niacin, you get a very significant improvement in total cholesterol levels.

If you don’t like the medical route and the idea of taking a strong medication like niacin for cholesterol doesn’t appeal to you, never fear! There are many different options to help you lower LDL cholesterol, raise HDL cholesterol, and achieve normal cholesterol levels. There is a wide variety of natural supplements made from amazing foods, and you will find that some of the following supplements will be very effective in helping you restore normal cholesterol levels in your body without needing medication:

Artichoke Extract – Artichoke Extract is one of the more controversial supplements, as many believe that it is incredibly effective while others remain skeptical. It is believed to help reduce your LDL cholesterol and cut down on your total cholesterol level. Many people find that the artichoke extract causes gas due to the strength of the artichoke, and some have an allergic reaction to the vegetable.

Barley – Barley, like all whole and natural grains, contains lots of soluble fiber that will help to get rid of your bad cholesterol. It is an effective supplement that can help to cut down on your LDL cholesterol, thereby lowering your total cholesterol as well. There should be no allergic reactions to most people that are not gluten-intolerant, and there are no side effects as a result of taking this amazing grain.

Blond Psyllium – Blond psyllium is usually used in Metamucil, but it is also found in seed husk. This supplement is effective at lowering your total cholesterol level by cutting down on your LDL cholesterol, thus reducing your risk of heart problems. The side effects may include stomach pain, gas, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation.

Green Tea Extract – Green tea is one of the many things recommended to help lower cholesterol, due to the high levels of antioxidants in the tea. Green tea extract is basically a concentrated version of all the good stuff in the tea, and it will be very effective at helping to lower LDL cholesterol and prevent the cholesterol from oxidizing. Some blood thinning medications will interact negatively with the extract, and it may cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting as side effects.

As with all natural supplements, there are going to be drawbacks and downsides to taking the different nutrients into your body in such concentrated forms. However, the side effects of these natural supplements are much less visible or noticeable than the side effects of medications, and many people prefer the route of natural cholesterol reduction over medications.

Niacin for Cholesterol: Ways to Lower Cholesterol Sans Meds

If you want to take niacin for cholesterol, it will be one of the best ways to lower cholesterol. However, there are other ways to lower cholesterol than medications and the supplements above, and you will find a whole list of other foods and supplements that can help you fight your cholesterol below:

Guggulipid – As totally hilarious as this supplement sounds, it is actually one of the most effective. It is made from the resin of a specific myrrh tree, and tests in India showed that this resin helps to decrease total cholesterol levels as well as LDL cholesterol. However, a study with negative results was published recently, so doctors have continued to study into the effects of the supplement.

Garlic – Not only will garlic help to keep all vampires and unfriendly people away, but it can help to fight off cholesterol as well. Garlic can help to drop your blood pressure, but it can also lower your total cholesterol levels as well. Garlic has a blood thinning effect, meaning that it may not go over so well if you consume a lot of it while taking medications to thin out your blood. Still, it can be effective at helping you to fight off cholesterol.

Red Yeast Rice –– Red yeast rice has been used by the Chinese for millennia, and it has proven to be an effective supplement at helping to deal with a number of ailments. (You can learn more about red yeast rice by visiting the Red Yeast Rice Cholesterol page).

Soy Beans – Soy beans are very high in protein, but they are very low in fat and very effective at lowering your LDL cholesterol levels as well as triglyceride levels. You can find soy in all kinds of products – both delicious and otherwise – and there are few foods that work as well as soy when it comes to keeping cholesterol under control.

Policosanol – Policosanol is a product of sugar cane, and it has been proven to be effective at cutting down on your LDL cholesterol levels.

These few natural supplements can help you to lower your cholesterol levels without the need for medications.

Niacin for Cholesterol: Understanding Cholesterol Readings

The cholesterol readings on your chart seem like a lot of numbers, and they can be confusing. However, here are a few things to keep in mind.

The numbers on the chart equal milligrams per deciliter of blood.

Total cholesterol should be lower than 200, while higher than 240 represents a very serious risk.

LDL cholesterol should be lower than 100 for optimum health, while higher than 160 is dangerous.

HDL cholesterol should be higher than 60 for optimum health, while lower than 40 is very risky.

Triglycerides should be lower than 150 for optimum health, but over 200 presents a very serious health risk to you.

Now you know what it means when your doctor shows you all the little numbers on your chart…

Everyone has heard of the magic of fish oil and cholesteroleffects, and how you can reduce cholesterol naturally with this amazing, strangely fishy tasting liquid.

However, many people have no idea what effect on cholesterol fish oil has, what the fish oil cholesterol effects really are, what fish oil for lowering cholesterol really can do, and what the many fish oil benefits are.

The good news is that this page contains pretty much everything you need to know about fish oil, and much more besides.

Here you can learn about a natural way to lower cholesterol, how to raise HDL cholesterol without taking drugs, what are foods that help lower cholesterol, reasons for following a low cholesterol diet plan, what some of the best cholesterol lowering supplements are, and so much more.

Read on to find out more…

Natural and Powerful Fish Oil Cholesterol Effects

Fish oil is an amazing thing that you can take to help you get healthy, prevent heart problems, and keep your cholesterol under control.

There are many fish oil cholesterol effects that you need to know about, such as:

Fish oil controls cholesterol – Did you know that fish oil can help to control and even lower your harmful cholesterol. It won’t deal with the LDL cholesterol, but it will lower your triglycerides (the forgotten member of the cholesterol family). You can lower your triglycerides level significantly by taking fish oil.

Fish oil keeps your arteries healthy – When too much plaque builds up on the walls of your arteries, they are much more likely to crack and have serious problems. Fish oil will help to keep your arteries free of buildups, and will keep them strong and healthy. In fact, the fish oil can actually help to keep your arteries much more elastic, which will help to prevent them from becoming rigid and cracking.

Fish oil increases good cholesterol – The good cholesterol actually helps in the battle against the bad cholesterol, and taking fish oil can give your body an edge in the war against cholesterol. Fish oil contains lots of healthy fatty acids, and these acids will be effective in keeping your heart healthy.

Fish oil can slow the buildup of plaque – Problems usually begin to arise when the cholesterol floating around your arteries hardens on the arterial walls, and this oxidization (turning into plaque) of the cholesterol is what causes all heart attack, stroke, etc. Fish oil, however, prevents the cholesterol from becoming hard, and thus helps to prevent the problems from arising in the first place.

Isn’t it amazing how this oil that comes from fish can be so beneficial in helping you to control the byproduct of other kinds of oil? Ironic, isn’t it?

Fish Oil and Cholesterol: How to Use Fish Oil for Lowering Cholesterol

If you want to use fish oil for lowering cholesterol, you will find that it will be fairly simple to do so.

The recommended amount of fish oil that you should take to help control cholesterol and prevent heart disease is between 1,000 and 2,000 milligrams per day.

If you take more, you could experience serious side effects, so make sure to stick with the recommended dosage.

Once you suck down the fish oil, how does it work?

The Omega 3 fatty acids in the fish oil help to thin out your blood, thus preventing clots from forming (clots are what cause heart attacks and strokes).

These fatty acids also help to scrape all the plaque off the walls of your arteries, and it sends the plaque out the digestive system. Hypertension (high blood pressure) is also controlled by the fish oil, and lower blood pressure means less heart problems. The fish oil will keep your arteries nice and flexible, which will prevent them from cracking.

All of this and more, thanks to the simple oil extracted from our neighbors living in the ocean (fish, not mermaids).

The Best Fish Oil Benefits

Everyone who takes fish oil wants some kind of health benefits, and there are many of them. Some have counted up to 20 benefits of fish oil, but many of them are only believed to be benefits (as in, not yet proved conclusively by studies).

However, some of the top benefits have been proved, but what are the top fish oil benefits?

Improves Heart Health – As everyone knows by the fact that fish oil helps to improve cholesterol, your heart and cardiovascular system will be greatly improved by taking the fish oil. You can cut back on cholesterol, reduce the risk of hypertension, keep the blood flowing easily, and provide your heart with the nourishment it needs to keep on pumping away.

Promotes Healthy Metabolism – Anyone who has tried to lose weight unsuccessfully knows how hard it can be to shed extra pounds when your metabolism is slower than it should be. For this reason, fish oil is so excellent, simply because it speeds up your metabolic rate and helps your body to process food more effectively. A more efficient processing of food equals better weight control and overall health.

Reduces Cancer Risks – Fish oil is surprisingly effective when it comes to dealing with a number of types of cancer, include breast cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer. It can help to stop colon cancer from advancing and consuming more of the colon, and can even help to kill off the cancer cells before they can do much damage to the body.

Enhances Positive Mood – Most people don’t know this, but their brain is suffering from a chemical imbalance when they feel depressed or moody. The chemical imbalance is caused by a lack of fatty acids (your brain is made up of fat), but eating fish oil helps to provide your brain with the fatty acids it needs to produce the right chemicals to keep your emotions stable and positive.

Isn’t it amazing what a little bit of oil can do?

Other Uses than Controlling Cholesterol Fish Oil is Good For

The above benefits of fish oil are awesome, but did you know that fish oil can do more than just control your cholesterol, keep your heart healthy, fight off cancer, help you process food efficiently, and balance your mood?

Here are a few uses other than controlling cholesterol fish oil is good for:

Helps keep your eyes healthy – Those with poor eyesight aren’t losing their eyeballs, but the cells that form the parts of their eyes that help them to see are basically breaking down. This is known as macular degeneration, but you can prevent this breaking down of your eye cells by taking fish oil. It will not only prevent your eyes from getting worse, but can improve their health effectively.

Reduces risk of childhood disorders – When a pregnant woman takes the supplement, she is basically giving her child all the nutrients he or she needs to grow healthy and strong in her belly. The fish oil helps the child’s brain to develop normally, which will reduce the risk of birth defects, childhood disorders like ADD or hyperactivity, and will help the child to have a long and happy life.

Improves your ability to focus and concentrate – Just like all the other muscles in your body, your brain needs nutrients in order to survive and function properly. However, where your muscles need amino acid, your brain needs fatty acids to function well. If you want to be smarter, improve your mental acuity, and enhance your brain’s functioning and ability to concentrate, you should feed it fish oil.

Fights off swollen joints and swelling – Those fighting arthritis and other inflammatory disorders know just how painful swelling can be in the wrong place, but taking fish oil helps to prevent this pain. This is because fish oil is basically an anti-inflammatory substance, and it helps to stop swelling from taking place. It can fight off the arthritis and swelling, and will help to keep your joints healthy and pain-free.

Wow, the benefits just keep piling up, and fish oil is turning out to be quite an awesome thing to take.

Fish Oil and Cholesterol: A Natural Way to Lower Cholesterol – Being Heart Smart

Now that you know about fish oil and how it is awesome for your health, are there other things you can do to help nourish your heart and keep it healthy?

The answer is YES!!

Being heart smart is the best natural way to lower cholesterol, and you will find that there are many things you can do to care for your heart.

Aside from exercise, reducing drinking, cutting out cigarettes, and reducing stress, eating the right foods is the best way to keep your heart healthy.

Want tips on a natural way to lower cholesterol? Here are a few for you:

1. Eat less fat – Fat is the first thing that your body turns to cholesterol, as it cannot really be processed properly by the body. In order to keep your heart healthy and fight off cholesterol problems, cut back on all kinds of fat — even the good ones.

2. Eat more whole stuff – All whole grains are going to be packed with soluble fiber, which helps to dispose of the cholesterol and bad stuff in your body. However, they also contain lots of nutrients that will keep your heart healthy, so it is wise to eat more whole grains whenever possible.

3. Eat less fatty proteins – There are certain proteins that are very high in fat, such as processed meat, pork, and beef. Even cheese has a high fat content, and these high fat proteins should be replaced with low fat ones like tuna, lentils, beans, low fat dairy, chicken, turkey, or soy protein.

4. Eat more raw stuff – When it comes to food that will be good for your body, there is nothing that can compete with vegetables. Veggies contain lots of great fiber, almost no fat (most of them), and tons of nutrients that your body needs to get rid of cholesterol, stay healthy, and function properly. Fruits are also good as well, as they contain pectin, Vitamin C, and lots of other nutrients that will keep your body healthy. Stock up on these foods to lower cholesterol and be heart smart.

5. Eat less sodium – Sodium is found in salt, but it can also be found in lots of other places. Eating sodium causes high blood pressure, which in turn puts a strain on your heart. In order to keep your heart healthy, cut back on the amount of sodium in your diet.

6. Eat more regularly – If you want to control the amount of food you eat, you would do well to eat at more regular intervals. Eat 5 or 6 meals of a much smaller size per day, as that will help you to watch what you eat and feel less hungry throughout the day.

7. Eat less food – One of the best ways to keep your heart healthy is to reduce the amount of total food you eat, which means fewer calories that have to be processed by your body. Lowering your calorie consumption means that your body has to take fat from its stores in order to produce energy, meaning that your body burns fat rather than accumulates it.

Having a heart smart diet is the way to go, and you will find that it is the most effective way to control your cholesterol.

Top Cholesterol Lowering Supplements

There are many excellent cholesterol lowering supplements that you can take to help you control the levels of cholesterol in your body, including:

Red Yeast Rice

Blond Psyllium

Soy Protein Isolate

Niacin

Omega 3

Artichoke Extract

How to Raise HDL Cholesterol

Remember that cholesterol is divided into two categories: the good cholesterol (HDL) and the bad cholesterol (LDL).

Lowering bad cholesterol is important, but more important actually will be raising your good cholesterol.

Why is it so important to raise your good cholesterol?

Simple: the good stuff gets rid of the bad stuff more effectively than anything else. If you raise your good cholesterol numbers, you can be certain that your body will do all the heavy lifting and will get rid of the bad cholesterol on its own.

So how can you raise your good cholesterol?

Here are a few tips on how to raise HDL cholesterol effectively and easily:

Get more activity – Doing regular exercise can help you to increase your HDL cholesterol by as much as 6%, so start doing moderate or vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes per day to raise your numbers.

Eat right – Eating foods that are low on the glycemic index and rich in fiber will be the best way to increase your HDL cholesterol, so check out the list below to help you find which foods are the best to add to your diet.

Quit smoking – Smoking causes high blood pressure, but it also weakens the walls of your arteries and causes your body to produce less HDL cholesterol. If you want to improve your HDL numbers, stop smoking and see them rise.

Drink a little – Drinking too much alcohol will cause your LDL cholesterol to rise, but drinking a glass of wine every day is the key to raising your HDL cholesterol. If you can moderate your alcohol intake, you are guaranteed better HDL levels.

Lose weight – Weighing more than you should usually means that your body can’t produce enough HDL cholesterol to fight off the LDL cholesterol, so losing weight is a great way to give your body a chance in the fight against cholesterol.

Replace fats – Your body needs certain fats, and it will require carbohydrates for energy as well. However, what you eat is very important, so you should replace the bad fats with healthy ones and exchange your refined carbs for complex ones that will actually be good for you.

Simple changes right? However, making them will take a lot of willpower, but it will be well worth it as you raise your HDL cholesterol levels effectively.

Foods that Help Lower Cholesterol

Want a list of a few foods to help you lower your cholesterol for your low cholesterol diet plan?

Fruits and Vegetables are rich in fiber, which helps to get rid of cholesterol.

Whole grains also contain a lot of fiber, as well as other nutrients that will keep your body healthy.

Legumes are high in protein but low in fat, making them a great alternative to meats that are high in fat.

Nuts, avocadoes, and natural oils contain healthy fats that your body needs, and they should replace the other fats that you consume via fast food, junk food, and fried stuff.

Cholesterol lowering herbsare the way to go, and they are some of the best things you can use for lowering cholesterol naturally. Of all the cholesterol lower supplements, the herbs for high cholesterol and herbal medicine for cholesterol will be the most effective.

However, don’t get stuck only on leaves, but you will find that green tea and cholesterol have a unique relationship, the cinnamon cholesterol effects can be visible, using garlic to lower cholesterol is one of the best ways to go, you can lower cholesterol apple cider vinegar easily, and flax seed to lower cholesterol is almost as good as using red yeast rice and cholesterol supplements together.

There are many types of herbs that come in handy in your daily life, and you will find that you are surrounded by herbs of all flavors. Herbs like basil, thyme, and oregano add a bit of spice to your food, while tea leaves make your hot water tasty. You can use herbs like parsley and cilantro to give you a bit of a pep up, with many more of the green herbs will infuse your body with antioxidants.

Herbs are everywhere, and they are very effective in many different situations.

Herbs for High Cholesterol

The herbs for high cholesterol are very effective, and you will find that there are many cholesterol lowering herbs that you can take for lowering cholesterol naturally. Some of the best herbs for high cholesterol are:

Artichoke Plant – The leaves of the artichoke contain a special type of fiber that will help to block the absorption of cholesterol in your body, and it helps to decrease the production of the nasty LDL cholesterol particles. You can stop your body from creating and absorbing the harmful lipoproteins, but it is not recommended to take this herb if you have problems with your gall bladder.

Celery – Celery is a vegetable that has its place in just about every dish that you can make, but the leaves and stalk both have a very specific effect on cholesterol. You can seriously lower your LDL cholesterol by eating lots of celery, so fill your lunch box with celery sticks instead of potato chips if you want to deal with your cholesterol effectively.

Skullcap – Skullcap is a unique plant that has been used for a number of herbal remedies, but a Japanese study showed that the plant can help to increase your body’s natural production of the beneficial HDL cholesterol. This means that taking skullcap will help your body to more naturally get rid of the cholesterol on its own.

Soy – Japanese love all things soy, and this is one of the main reasons that they have one of the lowest cholesterol levels in the world. The FDA has stated that nearly any food containing soy products can help to decrease cholesterol, but it is food like tofu and soy protein that will be the most effective at helping you to control your cholesterol levels.

Turmeric – Those who like a bit of Indian or Arabian cooking will know exactly what turmeric is, but this orange root is more than just a good taste in your meal. The root can actually help to decrease the cholesterol levels in your body, thus helping to decrease the risk of serious heart problems. Eating more chicken curry is a great idea, thanks to the health benefits of this amazing herb.

Ginger – Ginger is an herb that is used in many an Asian dish to add a bit of flavor and tang, but it will help to cut back on your cholesterol levels as well as make your food taste great. You can take ginger tea to help fight sore throats and control cholesterol, or you can add it to your food to obtain the same cholesterol lowering effects.

These are just a few of the many cholesterol lowering herbs, but you might be surprised to learn just how much of an effect these herbs can have on your cholesterol levels if you add them to your food.

Cholesterol Lowering Herbs and Supplements

In addition to all the cholesterol lowering herbs, there are a number of cholesterol lowering supplements that you can take as well. If you are looking for ways of lowering cholesterol naturally, these herbs may be exactly what you need. They are all made with natural ingredients, thus sparing you many of the side effects of medication. There will be side effects, but you might be surprised to find that there are many great supplements that can help you to deal with your high cholesterol levels:

Niacin – Niacin is a B-vitamin (B3) that is given as a supplement to deal with cholesterol, and it has proven to be one of the most effective. In fact, many doctors prescribe it along with medications, as the effects it has are more effective than most medications. What it does is increase the levels of the good cholesterol in your body, thus helping it to naturally fight the bad cholesterol on its own. There are a few negative side effects like pain, muscle breakdown, and a few others, so it is important that your use of the supplement is closely monitored by a doctor.

Soluble Fiber – Soluble fiber is one of the most important things that you can give your body, as it is one of the things that will help to win the “War on Cholesterol Terrorism”. What it does is absorb a good deal of the bile that turns into cholesterol, and it helps to send the bile out the digestive systems waste disposal rather than spread through the body. It acts like a sponge, and thus is one of the most effective cholesterol prevention options. You can usually find soluble fiber in most whole grains and vegetables, but taking it in supplement form will make it even more effective.

Plant Stanols – Plant stanols can usually be found in certain types of margarine, and this compound can help to cut down your cholesterol levels by as much as 10%. This doesn’t sound like much, but it can be very effective if combined with other supplements or medications. They are not usually used in the place of medications, however, but are simply an addition to the medications used.

These are some of the most popular cholesterol lowering supplements, though there are a few that you will learn more about below that have just as amazing an effect.

Herbal Medicine for Cholesterol

Herbal medicines have been around for millennia, as the ancient peoples of the world found that there were many plants, roots, and leaves that had amazing healing effects on the body. The herbal medicines below are all great cholesterol lowering herbs, and you may find that they can be very effective if taken in the right form:

Chicory Root – Chicory root is often used to make a coffee-like brew, but the Chinese have used this root for years as a treatment for high cholesterol. The reason the herb works is that it helps to regulate the body’s natural metabolism of the cholesterol, thus stopping the high production of LDL cholesterol.

Fenugreek – Fenugreek is an herb that has been used for millennia as an aid to digestion, but it can help to cut back on the sugar in your blood and reduce the amount of cholesterol in your body.

Hawthorn Berry – Hawthorn berries help the stomach to work properly, and it will also have a positive effect on your spleen and liver. It will help to boost your body’s natural circulation, and will help to lower the levels of cholesterol in your body.

Holy Basil –– This herb may sound absolutely divine, but the effects are much more mundane. The herb is native to the Indian subcontinent and Suriname, and it is one of the natural herbal remedies that help to control cholesterol levels. It can also help to reduce your blood sugar, and will counteract stress.

Amazing what just a few roots, leaves, and berries can do, isn’t it?

Cinnamon Cholesterol Effects

Cinnamon is one of the many natural remedies that have been used to treat cholesterol, but how does the stuff work?

Cinnamon, when taken in small amounts, can help to lower your triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and even your blood sugar. It won’t do anything to increase your HDL cholesterol, but it will reduce the bad stuff and help to keep your cholesterol levels regulated.

There have been conflicting studies saying that it both does and doesn’t work, but cinnamon is still considered by many to be one of the best spices to help you control your cholesterol.

Make sure to take the spice in moderation, as it is very strong and can have serious side effects if you take too much.

Green Tea and Cholesterol

Green tea is the Japanese national drink (that and Sake – rice wine), and it is one of the few drinks that doctors will recommend patients due to its incredibly high antioxidant content.

The polyphenols (the antioxidants) in the green tea help to prevent the cholesterol from oxidizing (hardening into plaque) on the walls of your arteries, thus preventing atherosclerosis and heart problems. However, does green tea help to lower cholesterol levels?

The answer is: yes, but not as much as you might like.

All experts agree that the benefits of green tea are many and varied. The antioxidants in the green tea prevent the cholesterol from being absorbed by the body, but skeptics believe that the difference is too small to be considered a real benefit. There have been lots of studies done, and thee result showed that the change was indeed fairly minimal (2 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol, and no change in HDL cholesterol).

Still, it is a great idea to take green tea along with some of the other herbal remedies and supplements that you are taking, as every little bit counts when it comes to keeping your cholesterol under control.

Cholesterol Lowering Herbs: Garlic to Lower Cholesterol

Garlic is one of the most unique of the herbs in the world, as it has many amazing properties. It’s most remarkable properties is its ability to drive off vampires (real vampires, not the wimps from Twilight), but you will find that there are many health benefits as well.

Garlic doesn’t only make your food taste absolutely divine, but it also helps to kill a lot of the fungi and bacteria in your body thanks to its production of allicin. It can help to relieve some of your digestive problem, and it also reduces the risk of your blood forming dangerous clots. For those with high cholesterol, the prevention of blood clots is great, as the clots caused by the cholesterol near the brain and heart can be fatal.

However, when it comes to lowering cholesterol naturally, the jury is still out on whether or not garlic is one of the effective cholesterol lowering herbs. Studies have shown that garlic can help to reduce cholesterol, both triglycerides and total cholesterol. HDL cholesterol usually remained unchanged despite the garlic, while LDL cholesterol was only slightly lowered.

In addition, some researchers found that the dose of garlic was directly related to the reduction of cholesterol, i.e.; the more you take the more your cholesterol goes down. Some long term studies found that garlic only had a temporary effect on cholesterol levels.

In the end, it has been concluded that garlic can help to lower cholesterol, but it will not be the most effective of the cholesterol lowering herbs. It is recommended that garlic consumed along with other supplements and herbs, as the more you consume, the more effective it will be.

Garlic is also very strong, and it is recommended that you check with your doctor before taking any garlic supplements or eating more than a few cloves of garlic per day. Garlic can harm your liver and make your breath quite unpleasant, so make sure that you know what you are doing if you are going to take garlic to lower cholesterol.

Lower Cholesterol Apple Cider Vinegar

Another of the amazing supplements that you can take in order to stay healthy is apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar contains a lot of pectin, and pectin is one of the many things that can help to lower cholesterol.

The way apple cider vinegar works to lower your cholesterol is by filling your stomach with soluble fibers. As you can read above, soluble fiber helps to absorb all the cholesterol and prevents it from spreading around your body. When the fiber bonds with the cholesterol, your body sees it as something that needs to be eliminated rather than circulated around the body. Your digestive system then proceeds to send it out the waste chute, and your cholesterol is lowered effectively.

Another amazing thing about this soluble fiber found in apple cider vinegar is that it helps you to feel more full, as the soluble fiber absorbs water and fills your stomach. This means you will be much less tempted to eat, and the reduced desire to eat decreases your chances of snacking or stuffing the wrong high cholesterol foods in your mouth.

Apple cider vinegar is also believed to help neutralize the cholesterol in your body, as it contains lots of amino acids that stimulate the body to naturally get rid of the LDL cholesterol on its own. Even just taking one tablespoon of this amazing vinegar a day is enough to help you control your cholesterol.

Flax Seed to Lower Cholesterol

Flax seed is another one of the amazing cholesterol lowering herbs, and you will find that the benefits are three fold:

Second, flax seed has lots of fiber, which is one of the main nutrients that help to fight the production and absorption of cholesterol by your body.

Third, flax seed contains lots of Omega 3 fatty acids, which is one of the best things you can take to help prevent cholesterol from building up on the walls of your arteries. It can help to cut down on the LDL cholesterol, increase HDL cholesterol, and lower your total cholesterol.

These simple seeds pack a punch, and you may find that taking flax seed to lower cholesterol is the way to go.

Red Yeast Rice and Cholesterol

Red yeast rice is an amazing Chinese herb that has been used both for its medicinal and food coloring properties for more than 1,000 years. It works just like a statin works, and helps to prevent the liver from producing cholesterol.

(If you want to learn more about red yeast rice, check out the Red Yeast Rice Cholesterol page to get all the information on this useful Chinese supplement)

Many people think that shrimp cholesterol can be a problem, and that it should not be included in a low fat cholesterol recipe of a low fat low cholesterol diet.

If you want a low fat cholesterol recipe that contain none of the high cholesterol foods, should shrimp be on that list?

Here you will find an answer to that question, and many more…

Below you will also find some tips on foods high in cholesterol that should be avoided, as well as a wee word of advice on how to make your cholesterol and triglyceride lowering diet work.

With no further ado, on to the shrimp cholesterol information you need to know…

The Mysterious Shrimp Cholesterol Facts

When it comes to keeping your cholesterol under control, there are a number of high cholesterol foods that you will need to avoid (see the list below).

Shrimp is placed on many a list of foods high in cholesterol, but is it really one of those danger foods that you should stay away from?

The truth is a bit more complex than you might imagine. A dozen large shrimp that are boiled contain about 200 milligrams of cholesterol, which is more or less what a person with high cholesterol should consume in their entire day (so much cholesterol in one sitting!).

However, on the flip side, shrimp is very high in protein, but it contains very little fat when compared to other forms of protein.

In addition, the cholesterol in shrimp is much healthier than the cholesterol in eggs, and shrimp is high in Omega 3. Everyone knows that Omega 3 is the best of the fatty acids, as it can help to fight off cholesterol and other heart problems.

This is where things get tricky.

The Lowdown on Shrimp Cholesterol

Since shrimp contains lots of cholesterol, it has been considered a very controversial food. However, let’s take a look at a few facts about the cholesterol shrimp contains:

Shrimp won’t threaten to elevate the cholesterol levels of roughly 75% of the people who find that their diet doesn’t affect the levels of their serum cholesterol.

Shrimp is lower in fat than other seafood options, but contains more Omega 3 than many other forms of fish.

As you can see, the jury is undecided on whether or not shrimp is bad for the 75% mentioned above.

However, for those that fall into the 25% category, shrimp may be dangerous. If you think you may fall into that category, you would do well to check with your doctor before adding shrimp to your menu.

Low in Fat = Bonus Point for Shrimp

One great thing that has kept shrimp as part of the low fat low cholesterol diet is the fact that there is almost no fat in shrimp. Many types of fish are fairly high in fat, but shrimp contains next to nothing when compared with fatty fish.

In addition, while shrimp (4 ounces worth) contains 2 grams of fat, none of it is the saturated fat that is so bad and responsible for cholesterol. Adding to that, shrimp jacks up LDL cholesterol levels by 7% but increases HDL cholesterol by 12%, meaning that the benefits outweigh the downsides when compared with other proteins.

Shrimp can also lower your triglyceride levels by as much as 13%, thus tipping the balance in favor of shrimp if your health permits it. Not everyone will be able to eat shrimp, especially those with other heart problems. However, for most people, the health benefits of shrimp make it a wonderful thing to eat.

8 Low Fat Cholesterol Recipe Examples

Now that we know all about shrimp cholesterol, let’s move on to a few low fat cholesterol recipe examples that you can use to help you eat right and keep your body’s cholesterol in check.

For the first recipe, the star of this website: shrimp!

1) Healthy Shrimp Cocktail

Everyone loves a good shrimp cocktail, but it contains a lot of ketchup (meaning lots of sugar). However, you can whip up your own shrimp cocktail using tomato juice mixed with a bit of orange juice, lemon juice, and a touch of vinegar to add just the right tang.

Grill the shrimp lightly to cook them properly, and insert a piece of celery into the cocktail to make it just right for your low fat cholesterol recipe list.

2) Hearty Bean Cheese Salad

When it comes to salads, there is nothing like a hearty bean and cheese salad to take the edge off your hunger. However, rather than using cheddar cheese that contains a good deal of fat, consider using Mexican white (Panela) cheese or a low-fat cheese.

Add in a cup or so of well-cooked black beans, a few tomatoes, half an onion chopped into tiny pieces, and a nice vinegar-based salad dressing to top off your delicious salad.

3) Yummy Low Fat Chicken Bake

Many people love to add a touch of oil on their chicken when tossing it in the oven, as well as coating it in a white flour breading.

However, if you want to make a good low fat chicken bake, dip your chicken in an egg white coating, and roll it in a breading made with brown flour, wheat germ, and sesame seeds.

Add olive oil for a crunchy finish, and place it in the oven to cook. Don’t forget to add a bit of pepper, but avoid the salt.

4) Healthy Summer Pasta

Rather than reaching for the Alfredo sauce for your pasta, why not make a Mediterranean summer pasta instead?

Use low fat goat cheese in penne pasta tossed in olive oil, sprinkled with basil, and a few sun dried tomatoes and chopped black olives mixed in for good measure? It is guaranteed to be a delicious pasta that will easily replace your creamy pasta choices.

5) Delicious Fruit Dessert

Dessert is the hardest time of the day for those on a low fat low cholesterol diet, as that is the time when you want to reach for the pie, ice cream, or brownies. Even if the pie contains fruit, it still has a lot of sugar and a white flour crust.

Instead, use some non-fat or Greek yoghurt as the base of your dessert, and add in a generous helping of your favorite berries. Sprinkle with a few chopped bits of your favorite dried fruits, add a few nuts, and top with a small helping of wheat germ to make your dessert tasty and healthful.

6) Tasty Natural Juice

Many people want to drink something cold and sweet when they come home, which is why they usually reach for the soda rather than a glass of water.

If you want something tasty to drink, buy a juicer and whip up an orange and carrot juice, a pineapple and celery drink, or a strawberry, mango, and parsley juice.

The combination of fruits and veggies will be perfect to quench your thirst and satisfy your sweet tooth.

7) Healthy Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

Mix up some whole wheat flour with rolled oats, natural brown sugar, yeast, salt, a bit of sterol-enriched margarine, a pinch of salt, and some water to make a dough for your own natural homemade healthy bread.

Set it in the oven to cook, and serve it with a delicious homemade soup for the perfect dinner idea.

8) Natural Tomato Pasta Sauce

Avoid purchasing pasta sauce from the store, but make your own at home.

Cut a bowl full of tomatoes in quarters or halves, and set them in a large pot to boil on the stove. Add a whole head of garlic and a full onion, and drop in some parsley for good measure. Let the sauce boil for at least 4 hours (add water occasionally to be sure it doesn’t burn), and blend once the sauce is done to have your own delicious and healthy sauce.

All these awesome recipe ideas can give you an idea of low fat ways to make your favorite foods.

Shrimp Cholesterol: How to Eat Foods for a Low Fat Low Cholesterol Diet

Following a low fat low cholesterol diet can be hard, but there are certain things that you can add to your food if you want to make it tasty as well as healthy.

Don’t know what foods you should try to add more of to your menu? Here are a few foods for a low fat diet:

Garlic – Garlic helps to prevent clots from forming, and will help to thin out your blood (thus preventing heart problems). Adding more garlic to your dishes will also enhance all the flavors, and can seriously work on lowering your cholesterol within record time.

Avocadoes – Avocadoes are high in fat, but it is the natural fat that is good for you. You can lower your LDL cholesterol and raise your HDL cholesterol significantly by eating even a single avocado a day, and they can make your meal more filling. Just be aware that one avocado has 340 calories, so go easy on them.

Nuts – Nuts are the perfect topping for yoghurts, cereals, salads, and even poultry dishes, or they can just be served as a snack. They are excellent due to the fact that they contain lots of natural oils that your body needs, and will be the perfect way to cut back on your hunger.

Legumes – Legumes aren’t just good on their own, but they make a mean salad, sauce, or filling for other dishes. They contain lots of the excellent soluble fiber that your body needs to get rid of cholesterol, and will help to fill you up without adding fat to your diet.

Fish – The Omega 3 in fish makes it an excellent choice, particularly the fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines. Despite the fact that some of the fish is high in fat, you would do well to replace some of your meat meals with fish in order to lower your cholesterol effectively.

Oranges – Oranges are great to help fight cholesterol, as they contain lots of the powerful antioxidant known as Vitamin C. You can cut back on your LDL cholesterol and raise your HDL cholesterol significantly just by drinking three glasses of the delicious citrus fruit juice every day.

Prunes – These amazing dried fruits are packed with a special kind of fiber known as pectin, and this pectin helps to prevent the cholesterol from getting into your bloodstream by absorbing it while it is still in your gut. They can also add sweetness to any dish, and make excellent desserts.

These foods are excellent additions to your low fat low cholesterol diet, and you will find that they will make your meals a lot more enjoyable as well.

High Cholesterol Foods to Avoid

Not all foods are as complex as shrimp when it comes to cholesterol – some are quite simply no-goes! So what foods do you need to keep off your plate? That’s right; all the foods high in cholesterol.

Don’t know what those foods are? Here is a list of some of the foods you need to stay far away from in order to keep your cholesterol as low as possible:

Processed Meat – If you think that regular meat is bad, imagine how bad processed meat must be. It is basically all the fat and junk meat left over after the good steaks are cut away, so processed meat is something to be avoided at all costs.

Oily Fish – While fish like tuna and salmon are great for you (thanks to their high Omega 3 content), some of the fish in the sea contain far more oil than you need in your diet. These fish include Atlantic sardines among others, so make sure to look out for fish with too much oil.

Fast Food – All of your favorite fast food is probably processed, deep fried, made with meat, and pretty oily or sugary. Eating these foods is like injecting little cholesterol clots directly into your bloodstream, so it is best to avoid them at all costs.

Butter – Butter is the greasy stuff on the top of milk, and, as delicious as it is, it has no place in a diet to avoid cholesterol. Watch out for pies, cookies, and cakes that could be made with butter, as it will add to your cholesterol levels significantly.

Egg Yolks – Egg yolks contain more than 200 milligrams of cholesterol each, and that is more than a person with high cholesterol should eat every day. The egg whites contain all the good stuff and none of the bad stuff, but the egg yolks should be cut out.

Organ Meats – Your body produces cholesterol in your liver, and the same is true for animals. This means that liver contains lots of cholesterol, but many of the organ meats like kidney will also contain a good deal of the harmful stuff.

It may be hard to eliminate these things from your diet, but it is important that you do so. These are the foods that contain the highest amounts of cholesterol, so be sure to avoid them at all costs.

Are Your Favorite Foods High in Cholesterol?

It may be a very dismaying prospect to see all of your favorite foods on the list of foods high in cholesterol, and you may be tempted to ignore the warnings of your doctor or nutritionist when they recommend that you avoid them.

DON’T!!!

Remember that cholesterol is the silent killer, and you will never know that you have dangerously high cholesterol until it is too late.

If your doctor tells you to avoid certain foods, you have to obey the instructions if you want to stay alive. If you ignore the warnings of your doctor, you may end up dead well before your time.

It is well worth the effort to change your dietary habits, as that will help to prevent a premature death by heart attack of stroke. Even if you can no longer eat all the foods you like, you will be much better off by eating less enjoyable foods but living a much longer life.

Will Your Cholesterol and Triglyceride Lowering Diet Work Alone?

Many people look at their cholesterol and triglyceride lowering diet and think they are doing great, and in reality they are. The fact that you are eating less food that contains fats, sugar, and cholesterol is good, but diet alone will not be enough.

You are going to have to take serious steps to change your lifestyle, and one of the best ways to do so is by getting more exercise. Exercise is the key to overall health, but exercise will get rid of cholesterol more effectively than almost anything else will.

As you burn fat in your body, your metabolism will start burning all the cholesterol that it has floating around your blood. Exercise cleans out your body of all the bad fat, and thus will seriously reduce the risk of cholesterol problems.

Want to be healthy and keep cholesterol low? Get off your rear and start doing exercise today!!

Red Yeast rice cholesterol effects are amazing, and those interesting in learning how to lower cholesterol naturally will find that this is one of the most amazing supplements on the market. Does red yeast rice lower cholesterol, and are there risks of red yeast rice? What are the red yeast rice side effects, and is there a specific red yeast rice dosage? All these questions and more are answered on this page with amazing facts about red yeast rice and cholesterol.

Red Yeast Rice Cholesterol: Red Yeast Rice and Cholesterol

Red yeast rice is an amazing product that can be obtained from rice that has been fermented with a special type of yeast known as Monascus pupureus (Latin for “funny colored fungus growing on rice”). The Chinese have been using it for many centuries as a traditional remedy, and it has been popular throughout the rest of Asia as well. You can even use the amazing substance as a coloring for your food, as a preservative, or as an additive.

There are a few amazing ingredients in red yeast rice cholesterol cannot ignore, and it is these ingredients that are believed to help control your cholesterol problems. These ingredients include:

Monounsaturated fatty acids (usually considered the ‘good’ kind of fat)

Monacolins (particularly monacolin K)

Sterols (awesome plant substances that help to control cholesterol)

Isoflavones (which are powerful antioxidants)

Red yeast rice has been considered both a supplement and a drug, as monacolin K is also called lovastatin and is used in prescription drugs. However, the red yeast rice is actually a natural substance, thereby making it a supplement as well.

The funny thing is that the company that produces Mevacor (one of the medications containing lovastatin) claims that it owns the rights to that special ingredient, but it is found in red yeast rice. The FDA has actually asked products containing red yeast rice to be removed from the market, as they contain lovastatin. However, despite this withdrawal, many people continue to bring red yeast rice back from their overseas travels, or they just buy it online in order to obtain the benefits without having to take the medications.

Red Yeast Rice Cholesterol: Does Red Yeast Rice Lower Cholesterol?

Now the question has to be posed, “Does red yeast rice lower cholesterol, or is it all a hoax?”

The answer to that question is (drum roll, please): absolutely!!

Remember that the main ingredient that works in the red yeast rice is lovastatin, which is the same ingredient that is contained in statins. Statins are drugs that are prescribed by doctors to help control cholesterol, and it is effective at lowering both triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in the blood. This means that the lovastatin in the red yeast rice has just as much effect as the statins that are prescribed by doctors.

The way it works is by inhibiting the enzyme that is responsible for producing cholesterol in your liver. The less of this specific enzyme that there is in your liver, the less cholesterol is produced. The decrease in the production of the enzyme is directly related to the decrease in cholesterol production, and this is why statins are so effective and thereby so commonly prescribed.

What are some of the results of tests done? One test saw that, after six months of taking the red yeast rice, the levels of LDL cholesterol in the people taking the supplement decreased by 20 milligrams per deciliter more than the people given the placebo. In addition, the total cholesterol of those taking the red yeast rice was significantly better than those not taking it.

As you can see, this red yeast rice has a number of awesome benefits, and red yeast rice cholesterol effects are on their way if you want to take this amazing product. However, not all is wonderful in paradise, as there are a few risks associated with taking red yeast rice.

Red Yeast Rice Cholesterol: Risks of Red Yeast Rice

Remember that red yeast rice contains the ingredient that is found in statins – lovastatin – and therefore you run the same risks as you would if you were taking these medications. Some of the most common side effects that happen when taking the red yeast rice include:

Nausea

Diarrhea

Stomach pain

Bloating of the abdomen

Many people have also found that their gastrointestinal system has also been affected by the red yeast rice.

These are only a few minor risks of the red yeast rice, but there are some major side effects that will be discussed in the next section.

One large risk you run when taking red yeast rice is the risk of buying a fraudulent product that won’t actually help to improve your cholesterol. Seeing as lovastatin can only be sold by the large pharmaceutical companies, many of the red yeast rice products that you can find on the internet will not actually contain this amazing ingredient. This means that the rice that you eat may or may not have an effect on your cholesterol, and you may end up spending money on a really tasty bag of red yeast rice that doesn’t really do anything for your cholesterol.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, even if you get real red yeast rice that will lower your cholesterol, it will not be as effective as the prescription drugs. If you are trying to use red yeast rice to correct serious cholesterol problems, you may find that it simply won’t work as well as you want it to. This is because there is much less lovastatin in the red yeast rice than in the prescription medications, which use refined forms of the ingredients.

There are some FDA warnings that tell people not to sell the red yeast rice on the internet, as it can be dangerous. However, many of these warnings have been ignored, and you may not be able to get a safe dosage of the supplement if you buy it online. Most doctors will recommend that you get the prescription drug, as that is the best way to be sure you are getting a safe and effective dosage of red yeast rice.

Red Yeast Rice Cholesterol: Red Yeast Rice Side Effects

The risks above are serious enough, but did you know that lovastatin – just like regular statins – can have serious side effects?

One of the main effects that these statins have is causing muscle weakness. The statins can cause a very serious muscle condition (with a very long and hard to pronounce name), and this can lead to the breaking down of your muscles, and possibly even to kidney failure. There are a number of muscle related problems that can be caused by taking statins, but these problems may not show up for as long as 4 years after the statins are used for therapy for the first time.

In addition, the statins and lovastatin can actually interact negatively with a number of other drugs, such as those used to treat infections, antibiotics, antidepressants, and other medications that work to lower cholesterol. If you are taking these medications, it is important to check with your doctor before taking any red yeast rice that contains lovastatin.

Red Yeast Rice Cholesterol: Red Yeast Rice Dosage

Taking the correct red yeast rice dosage ensures that you get just the right amount of lovastatin in your body. Too much can increase the risk of the side effects, while not enough will usually be far less effective than you had hoped for.

One study found that 2.4 grams of the red yeast rice on a daily basis helped to cut down the total cholesterol by 16% and LDL cholesterol by as much as 22%. All of this in just 12 weeks.

Another study revealed that taking 1.2 grams on a daily basis helped to cut down LDL cholesterol by as much as 26% in only 8 weeks.

However, most doctors recommend taking only 1.2 grams of the red yeast rice per day, with only 7 or 8 milligrams of lovastatin being contained in the rice. This will ensure that there is not too much of the lovastatin ingested, but that enough is consumed to actually have an effect on the cholesterol.

If you are planning on dosing yourself with red yeast rice, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Remember that the red yeast rice may have the same side effects as statin medications, and you should be wary of any of the risks and side effects when taking the supplement.

Those with chronic health problems should always check with their doctor before taking any supplements, especially ones like red yeast rice that act like drugs. Make sure to ask your doctor what the recommended red yeast rice dosage is according to your physical condition.

There are no regulations that determine how much lovastatin can be contained in a given product, meaning you have no idea how strong the red yeast rice is until you buy it.

Taking red yeast rice to help you cut down on your cholesterol is a great way to do so, but you will find that taking it along with a cholesterol and triglyceride lowering diet is even better. While supplements and medications can be effective, eating right can be even more effective. Want to know how to lower your cholesterol with the right diet? Here are some things you need to know about cutting down on cholesterol and triglyceride in the food you eat:

Avoid foods high in cholesterol — There are always going to be foods that are high in cholesterol that you will enjoy more than others, but you have to avoid those just as much as the other ones you dislike. These high cholesterol foods can cause serious problems and aggravate your heart disorder if you continue adding cholesterol to your systems, so cut back on the foods that are high in cholesterol like eggs, meat, dairy, etc.

Cut back on the fat in your diet – The less fat you get in your diet, the less fat your body has to turn into triglycerides and cholesterol. If you want to lower your cholesterol, lower the amount of fat you consume on a regular basis. You will have to stop eating processed foods, foods that have been deep fried, foods that contain a lot of refined flour, and sugary foods. Avoid foods that have the word “hydrogenated” on the list of ingredients, and find the foods that are as natural and healthy as possible.

Stop eating so much refined carbohydrates – Refined carbohydrates contain a lot of nutrients that will send your triglycerides through the roof, but they contain almost nothing that will nourish your body. Anything that should be a dark color but is white (white flour, white bread, white rice, etc.) should be avoided or replaced with their darker relative.

Reduce the amount of alcohol you consume – Drinking is good for your body if you consume alcohol in moderation, usually no more than a drink or two per day. If you drink more, you are filling your body with sugar, calories, and chemicals that will affect your liver. If you have high cholesterol, it is best to drink no more than a single drink every day, as a limited amount of alcohol will help to raise your HDL cholesterol without increasing LDL cholesterol as well.

Eat a lot more fiber – Remember that soluble fiber is the key to a low fat low cholesterol diet, and it will help to dispose of all the cholesterol in your body more effectively. It does so by creating a bond with the cholesterol, and the two will go skipping off hand in hand down your digestive system to be eliminated by your body.

Eat fewer calories on a daily basis – One of the main things that could be causing the cholesterol problems is the fact that you are eating more calories than your body can turn into energy, so it is storing the rest in the form of fat. Fat causes cholesterol, so your eating too much is the cause of the cholesterol. Eat fewer calories than your body needs in order to be certain that you stay as fat-free as possible.

This cholesterol and triglyceride lowering diet is very effective, and will help you get rid of all the junk in your body as naturally as possible.

Those trying to follow a low cholesterol low triglyceride diet will find that dieting may be much harder than they had originally thought. After all, you can’t eat all the foods you want to, you have to watch what you eat, and most of your favorite foods are off the menu.

Don’t think you have what it takes? Here are some tips to help you get through your diet and make it out the other side with a lower cholesterol level:

Get more plants – Eating more plants is the best way to lower the fat content in your daily food intake, and will help you to get more fiber. The best thing about plants is that you can pretty much eat as much of them as you want, thus helping you to avoid snacking.

Trim skin and fat – If you must eat a piece of steak or a good chicken leg, make sure to remove all the fat and skin from your piece. Find the steak that is as lean as possible, and be certain that all the tasty skin of the chicken is cut away before cooking it.

Cut back on sodium – Did you know that sodium will cause you to gain weight? Cutting back on sodium will help you to avoid weight gain, and you should consider replacing salt with lemon, garlic, and herbs instead.

Shop and cook right – When you go out to do the shopping, don’t go out when you’re hungry. Go shopping on a full stomach, as that will help you to buy the right things. Once you come home, take the time to prepare the right meals with as little oil as possible, and always invest enough time in cooking in order to stay faithful to your diet.

Dieting can be hard, but these tips can help you with your low cholesterol low triglyceride diet that will be the key to your losing weight and cleaning out all the cholesterol from your body.

If you want to follow a good diet to lower cholesterol, you need to raise good cholesterol by eating good cholesterol foods in addition to finding the best diet for high cholesterol that actually takes steps to reduce high cholesterol.

Remember that increasing HDL helps to decrease LDL, and the same is true in reverse. For this reason, the best way to lower cholesterol is not just to follow a low cholesterol low sugar diet or a low carb low cholesterol diet, but finding ways to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.

Don’t know how to go about it? Here are some things you need to know about how to raise good cholesterol and follow a diet to lower cholesterol…

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: The Best Diet for High Cholesterol

There are many diets that you can follow in order to lower your cholesterol, but the best diet for high cholesterol is actually quite simple. Concisely put, it involves:

Consuming less than 7% of your total calories in the form of saturated fats

Cutting back your total fat consumption to 25 to 35 percent

Limiting cholesterol to 200 mg or less per day

Reducing sodium consumption to 2,400 mg every day

Eating just enough calories to stay healthy, and NO MORE!!!

With this simple diet to lower cholesterol, you will find that you can naturally eliminate the cholesterol in your body that is causing problems (or could cause problems in the future). It will take some changes to your lifestyle, but it is possible.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: Some Good Cholesterol Foods

Many people focus on not eating the wrong foods, but the truth of the matter is that eating the right good cholesterol foods is important. If you want to lower your bad cholesterol, the best thing to do is to raise good cholesterol. Good cholesterol helps to take out the trash in your body, and will be the most effective thing to help you fight cholesterol.

Here are some of the best good cholesterol foods you can eat:

Nuts and Seeds – There are dozens of seeds and nuts that you should include in your diet, such as sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, and peanuts, among others. They help to increase your HDL cholesterol, but they will also help to lower your LDL cholesterol as well.

Beans and Oats – These two foods contain tons of soluble fiber, which is needed by your body to have healthy digestion. However, this fiber will also be excellent at helping to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol, as the fiber absorbs the bad stuff and helps the HDL to get rid of it.

Avocadoes – Avocadoes are rich in natural fats that your body needs, and they will be excellent at helping your body to get rid of the LDL cholesterol by raising HDL cholesterol. As long as they are consumed in moderation (due to their high fat content), they will be excellent for you.

Omega 3 – Omega 3 is a fatty acid that is found in fish, particularly fish that live in cold water. These fatty acids are very effective at raising your HDL cholesterol levels, and you will find that there are many additional benefits of Omega 3.

Orange and Cranberry Juice – These two juices contain lots of Vitamin C, which is a natural antioxidant. Orange zest also contains hesperidin, and cranberry skin contains flavonoids; both of these things can help to reduce cholesterol.

Foods rich in Magnesium – There are certain foods that are rich in magnesium, such as potatoes, spinach, and bananas. These foods can help to lower blood pressure, fight cholesterol, and improve the overall health of your heart.

Coconut oil – Coconut oil is a natural oil that will not contribute to your bad cholesterol levels, but it helps to stabilize your cholesterol levels.

These foods will be excellent to help you boost your body’s natural cholesterol levels, making them the best choice to eat for your diet to lower cholesterol.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: Reduce Stress and Reduce High Cholesterol

One of the best ways to reduce high cholesterol is to reduce stress. “Stress?” you may wonder. “How does stress work to increase my cholesterol levels?”

Many tests have been run, and many doctors have tried to find the direct link between stress and increased cholesterol. However, to date there have been no studies that have proven beyond a doubt how stress causes high cholesterol, but there are a few indirect links:

Stress causes cortisol to be produced, and cortisol throws off the hormonal balance inside your body. When your hormones aren’t balanced, there are many results like eating disorders, reproductive problems, etc. It is believed that stress also causes your body to produce more of the hormones that store fat, thus causing increased levels of cholesterol.

As stress produces cortisol, cortisol often makes it harder to sleep at night. When you don’t sleep enough, your body produces a hormone that tells your body it needs more sleep. However, this hormone is often misinterpreted by the brain as your being hungry, and you end up feeling hungry and eating more when you don’t sleep enough. More food = more cholesterol.

When you are stressed, you don’t take as good care of yourself. Usually you are running and in a hurry, so you don’t have to time to eat right or do exercise. Many people that are stressed end up drinking and smoking to calm down, and both of these activities cause increases in cholesterol.

As you can see, while there may be no direct link between stress and an increase in your cholesterol levels, there are many indirect links that prove that stress can cause problems. For this reason, cut back on stress in order to reduce high cholesterol.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: The Best Way to Lower Cholesterol – Stop Smoking

Those that are trying to follow a diet to lower cholesterol will find that the best way to lower cholesterol and prevent complications is to stop smoking. Smoking is not only damaging to your lungs, your throat, and your heart, but it will also directly affect your cholesterol. Let’s take a look at what smoking does to your body and cholesterol levels:

Smoking causes the production of HDL cholesterol to be suppressed. When your body doesn’t produce enough HDL cholesterol, it can’t get rid of all the LDL cholesterol. This means that the bad cholesterol is going to be running around your system unchecked if you smoke.

Smoking causes the oxygen in your lungs to be tainted with the toxins and chemicals in the cigarettes, meaning that the oxygen that your blood passes through your body is tainted and can do serious harm to your body.

Smoking increases the production of LDL cholesterol in your body, meaning that more of the bad stuff is floating through your body. Not only does it cause less of the good cholesterol to be produced, but it takes advantage of your weakened state to produce bad cholesterol.

Smoking causes high blood pressure, which weakens your heart. In addition to the high blood pressure, it weakens the walls of your arteries. If you have buildup of plaque on the walls of your arteries, the plaque is much more likely to crack the walls and cause serious problems.

As you can see, smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your body if you have problems with high cholesterol. Not only will it cause throat and lung cancer, but it can cause serious problems with your cholesterol.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: A Great Natural Remedy for High Cholesterol

If you want to find a natural remedy for high cholesterol, obviously dieting and exercise are two of the best. The diet to lower cholesterol contains all the foods that will raise good cholesterol, and exercise keeps the heart working and cleansing the body.

However, aside from these two methods of dealing with high cholesterol, there are a few more. One of the best natural remedy for high cholesterol options is the Liver Cleanse. While it is a drastic solution, it may be exactly what you need.

What is the Liver Cleanse? It is a diet in which you only drink fluids like water and natural juices. This diet is effective at flushing out all the junk from your body, including the cholesterol that is causing problems. If you want to effectively lower cholesterol drastically, you may want to check into the Liver Cleanse as an excellent natural remedy for high cholesterol.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: The Importance of a Low Cholesterol Low Sugar Diet

A low cholesterol low sugar diet is incredibly important, as sugar is one of the main things that cause cholesterol. Sugar is directly related to heart diseases like cholesterol and high blood pressure, so it is essential that you keep a low sugar diet.

One of the main problems with sugar is that it contains carbohydrates that contain absolutely no nutrients. These carbs are called empty carbs, as they are high in calories but low in nutrients. Those that eat a lot of sugar end up gaining weight, having heart problems, and having a high cholesterol level.

The low cholesterol low sugar diet ensures that you get more nutrients than empty junk. Sugar is turned into fat very quickly by your body, and the high amount of fat will cause cholesterol. Cutting out sugar is very important, as that will ensure that your body stays as cholesterol free as possible.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: The Importance of a Low Carb Low Cholesterol Diet

Carbohydrates are converted by your body into energy, but there are good and bad carbs. Good carbs take the body a longer time to digest, meaning that the body receives energy as needed. The food is slowly digested and processed by the body over time, and thus the energy all gets used.

However, bad carbs are empty of other nutrients, and thus the body can process it very quickly. The body gets an infusion of calories in a short amount of time, more than it can handle. When there are too many calories for the body to use in a short amount of time, it stores the excess in the form of fat. This fat causes cholesterol, and thus you will be increasing your cholesterol levels by eating these empty carbs.

Carbohydrates on the whole can cause cholesterol increases, which is why it is recommended that you reduce the amount of carbs you consume daily. By cutting back on the amount of carbs you consume and only consuming the complex carbs that will be processed properly by your body, you can ensure that high cholesterol is a thing of the past.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: Herbs to Lower Cholesterol

There are some great herbs to lower cholesterol, and these herbs will work well in your body to drive out all the junk that will clog your arteries. Don’t know what herbs these are? Below is a list of a few herbs to lower cholesterol along with their benefits:

Garlic – Garlic is incredibly effective for your heart, as it helps to lower blood pressure and prevent heart problems. It will also increase the production of the good cholesterol in your body, while simultaneously lowering the production of bad cholesterol.

Alfalfa – The tiny fibers in the alfalfa stick themselves to the cholesterol particles, thus preventing them from circulating through the blood system. The blood senses the larger particles as needing to be disposed of, and it sends them to be disposed of via the digestive system. Alfalfa also helps to increase production of HDL cholesterol, thus effectively lowering LDL cholesterol.

Red Yeast Rice – The Chinese have been using Red Yeast Rice for millennia as a treatment for many disorders, and it is an effective treatment that will help to improve circulation. You can increase HDL cholesterol production and decrease LDL cholesterol production by trying this amazing supplement.

Hawthorn Berry – The Hawthorn berry helps to prevent heart disorders by relaxing and dilating the blood vessels, but it also acts as an antioxidant to prevent the oxidization of cholesterol.

These are just a few of the amazing herbs to lower cholesterol, and you would do well to add them to your diet to lower cholesterol.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: Cinnamon Cholesterol Magic

Cinnamon is truly one of the most amazing spices on the planet, and it has many benefits for your overall health. Cinnamon cholesterol effects are truly amazing, as you can help to reduce risks of problems by trying this amazing spice. The reason that cinnamon works is that it mimics the function of insulin, which in turn helps to reduce cholesterol levels in your body. It will also help to keep the levels of blood sugar healthy.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: Fish Oil for Lowering Cholesterol

Fish oil is an amazing supplement, and this natural product has many benefits to your entire body. These benefits include boosted immune system, less risk of inflammation, and lower blood pressure. In addition, you can use fish oil for lowering cholesterol due to the simple fact that it helps to reduce levels of triglycerides in your body. The natural fatty acids in fish will be beneficial in your efforts to fight cholesterol, and it will be well worth considering.

As mentioned above, using fish oil for lowering cholesterol can help you to lower your triglyceride levels. A lower triglyceride level means that your total cholesterol level is lower, and it also means that the HDL cholesterol can focus on eliminating all the LDL cholesterol from your body. If you want a very effective supplement to help you fight off cholesterol problems, look no further than fish oil for lowering cholesterol as a great addition to your diet to lower cholesterol.

Diet to Lower Cholesterol: Alcohol and Cholesterol – The Best of Friends and the Worst of Enemies

Those following diet to lower cholesterol will find that alcohol has two effects on the body:

A moderate consumption of alcohol increases the levels of HDL cholesterol on in the body. Increased HDL cholesterol means lower LDL and total cholesterol levels, meaning less risk of cholesterol-related problems.

Too much alcohol damages the liver, impairs the immune system, causes high blood pressure, and increases cholesterol levels in your body due to the high sugar content.

As you can see, the amount of alcohol that you drink is directly related to the condition of your body. If you drink a moderate amount of alcohol (usually red wine), you can get many benefits in addition to the enjoyment that alcohol brings. If you drink too much, you will end up doing more harm than good. It is essential that you keep your consumption moderate in order to stay as healthy as possible.

When it comes to eating right, low cholesterol recipes on your low cholesterol diet menu will come in handy to help you figure out how to lower cholesterol naturally.

If you spend all your time figuring out which are the best foods to avoid high cholesterol, you won’t ever have to worry about cholesterol. All the good cholesterol foods can come in handy helping you to fight off the nasty cholesterol intruders. The low cholesterol diet plan and the sample diets for lowering cholesterol below will make it much easier for you to get rid of your cholesterol once and for all.

Remember that increasing good cholesterol is just as important as getting rid of the bad cholesterol, so take the time to read the list of foods to avoid high cholesterol as well as the list of good cholesterol foods below. You will find a low cholesterol diet plan that you can use to fight cholesterol, or there are sample diet for lowering cholesterol that have been created by experts and professional nutritionists from around the world.

With no further ado…

Low Cholesterol Recipes: How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally With Superfoods

When it comes to the best low cholesterol recipes, you can bet that adding superfoods to the meal plan will help you to get rid of the cholesterol as effectively as possible. In fact, the best low cholesterol diet menu plans all involve certain superfoods, with the main ones being:

Red Wine – Red wine is rich in resveratrol, and it will help to increase the levels of HDL (good) cholesterol in your body. As long as you drink just one glass or wine (or one drink) a day, you can bet that your body will fight off the cholesterol on its own.

Avocadoes – Avocadoes are not only green and tasty, but they will help to get rid of all the bad cholesterol by raising your good cholesterol. The healthy fats in avocadoes are great if consumed in moderation.

Blueberries – Most berries are rich in antioxidants, but the dark blue berries contain more than most. The antioxidant contained in blueberries – known as pterostilbene – is very effective at getting rid of your LDL cholesterol.

Barley – Barley, like all whole grains, grease the chute that gets rid of the cholesterol from your body. However, the fiber in barley is so effective that people eating it have found that their cholesterol level has dropped twice as far as those not eating it.

Legumes – All legumes contain fiber, and fiber acts like a sponge to soak up all the cholesterol in your body. However, beans and lentils, when combined with whole grains, pack a powerful punch that will help you to clean up your body quickly and easily.

Almonds – Almonds (and all nuts) contain the healthy fats that your body needs to function well, and these superfoods can help to stop your LDL cholesterol from being oxidized and hardening into plaque.

Oats – Oats are one of the most amazing foods to eat, as it will help to increase the levels of HDL cholesterol in your body. Higher HDL means that your body can more effectively get rid of the LDL, so start eating your oats.

These superfoods truly are amazing, and your body will be improved in every way by eating these foods. It’s awesome that they can help to get rid of cholesterol as well as burn fat, reduce hunger, and do all those other things that truly make them “super” foods.

Low Cholesterol Recipes: Low Cholesterol Foods to Eat

If you are trying to get rid of cholesterol, the low cholesterol foods are the ones that you should eat more than any. What does it mean to be a low cholesterol food? The answer is simple:

The food contains very low amounts of fat – This could mean that the low cholesterol foods are natural vegetables, fruits, or legumes, or it could mean that they are meats like poultry or fish that are lower in saturated fats and contain more good fats. Cutting back on the amount of fat that you eat is important, so eating low fat dairy, lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and other natural foods is the way to go.

The food contains lots of fiber – Remember that fiber acts like a sponge to soak up and eliminate all of the cholesterol that would do harm to your body, so getting more fiber in your diet is the way to go. High fiber foods include nuts, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, so you would do well to put as much of these low cholesterol foods on your low cholesterol diet menu as possible.

The food contains very small amounts of sugar – Sugar is the first thing that your body turns into fat, and fat becomes cholesterol. Eating less sugar, therefore, is the best way to ensure that you don’t have high cholesterol levels. Refined sugars like white sugar, sweets, and goodies are going to be the worst for you, as they are refined and thus difficult for your body to process. Low cholesterol foods like fruits even contain natural sugars that can cause problems, so it is best to keep consumption of sugary foods to a minimum.

The food contains very little oil – If you are going to eat right, cutting back on oil is important. The oil you use for cooking is likely high in saturated fats and trans fats, which are very bad for you. The more oil a particular food contains, the more likely it will be to cause cholesterol. The low cholesterol foods are the ones that contain as little oil as possible.

Low Cholesterol Recipes: Foods to Avoid High Cholesterol

There are certain foods that you need to avoid, as they are the cause of high cholesterol. These foods to avoid high cholesterol can be a problem, as they will increase the fats and sugar in your body. Don’t know which foods these are? Here are a few examples of food to avoid

High Fat Dairy – Yes ice cream is on the list, along with whole milk, whole yoghurt, and the tasty cheeses you love so much.

Pastries, Cakes, Donuts, etc. – All of your favorite baked goodies are high in sugar, contain butter or oil, and will add to your caloric intake while providing you very little nutritional benefit.

Snacks – Pretty much any snack that you find will contain sugar, will be deep fried, or will use artificial ingredients.

These foods are important to avoid, and they are just a few among many of the foods that can cause problems with your cholesterol.

Low Cholesterol Recipes: A Great Low Cholesterol Diet Plan

If you want a great low cholesterol diet plan, you already have all of the information you need to make your own. In order to lose weight and get in shape, you have to eat the right foods and cut out the wrong foods. The same is true for cholesterol, and your low cholesterol recipes should contain lots of:

Vegetables

Whole Grains

Legumes

The low cholesterol diet menu should also contain fair amounts of:

Fruits

Nuts

Natural fats

Low fat dairy

Your meal plan’s low cholesterol recipes should have very little:

Alcohol

Natural sugar

The low cholesterol diet plan should contain no:

Fats

Refined sugars

Artificial ingredients

As simple as that, you can whip up your own low cholesterol diet in a few minutes, and you might be surprised to realize how easy it is to avoid cholesterol if you just change your eating habits.

Low Cholesterol Recipes: Sample Diets for Lowering Cholesterol

If you don’t think you are capable of drawing up your own meal plan and menu with lots of low cholesterol recipes, there are some cholesterol lowering diets that are already created to help you lose weight, get in shape, and lower your cholesterol naturally. The sample diets for lowering cholesterol below are great to get rid of the junk in your body, so read over them, do additional research, and see if one of them is exactly what you need to help you drop those extra pounds and get rid of that bad cholesterol:

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet has lots of great recipes for low cholesterol diets, and this is because the diet plans contain lots of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, fish, wine, and olive oil. The diets also call for very little red meat, making them effective at helping to flush your body of all the cholesterol. Many people have found that their HDL cholesterol levels have gone up on this diet, while their total cholesterol levels have gone way down. As long as you are careful on the fairly high (natural) fat diet, you should have no problem dealing with your cholesterol.

The Step I and Step II Diets

The Step I Diet is a dietary approach to dealing with high cholesterol, and it has proven to be fairly effective. It involves cutting back fat intake to less than 30% of your daily calories, cutting saturated fats to 10%, eating less than 300 mg of cholesterol a day, cutting back sodium to less than 2,400 mg, and increasing the amounts of polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat in order to improve the body’s elimination of cholesterol.

The Step II Diet goes even further than the Step I Diet, cutting back the fats even further, lowering the sodium and cholesterol intake even more, and taking more effective measures to counteract the cholesterol. This diet plan is usually followed by those that have very high cholesterol levels, as the very high levels increase the chance of heart attack and stroke. Those following the Step II Diet usually require a drastic lowering of cholesterol.

VLF Diets

A Very Low Fat Diet is designed to reduce the amount of fat you consume, as well as increase the amounts of fiber and other healthy nutrients that you get in your meals. These diets can involve consuming 10 to 15 percent less fat than you should in order to stay healthy, and this drastic reduction helps to lower triglycerides. The Ornish Program is one such diet, and it is designed to help reduce the cholesterol that is clogging the arteries and increasing your risk of serious problems.

Low Cholesterol Recipes: How to Lower Bad Cholesterol

If you want to know how to lower bad cholesterol, the good news is that you don’t have to visit your doctor or take any medications. The bad news is that doing so will require a good deal of hard work and effort on your part, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Here are a few things to do to help you lower your bad cholesterol (aside from consuming food prepared with low cholesterol recipes):

Exercise – Doing exercise is one of the best ways to beat bad cholesterol. The reason that exercise is so great is due to the fact that it helps to circulate the blood through the body more effectively. More effective circulation means improved health, but it also means that there is less risk of the arteries being obstructed. The blood washes away the cholesterol buildups, so doing exercise is incredibly vital for your getting rid of bad cholesterol.

Alcohol – Surprisingly, drinking a bit of alcohol can also help to get rid of bad cholesterol. Drinking too much alcohol has a negative effect on your body, but a glass or two of wine every day can help your heart to work better, get rid of your cholesterol, and improve your overall health. As long as you don’t go overboard and drink too much, you can actually get healthier by drinking.

Smoking –Smoking is one of the worst things that you can do for your body, and it causes your body to start degenerating at a much younger age than it should. Quitting smoking has caused people to see direct improvement on their overall health, including their cholesterol levels. Smoking not only causes your body to stop producing HDL cholesterol, but it also weakens the walls of your arteries and causes them to crack more easily. If you are serious about getting rid of your cholesterol, quit smoking today.

Stress – Stress has a negative effect on your body, no matter who you are or how old you are. Those with problems with high cholesterol will just make their chances of complications much more serious when compounded with stress, so it is important to reduce the amount of stress you have in your life. Not only does stress cause you to sleep less, but it can also cause you to feel hungry and want to eat more.

These are just a few things you can do to fight off your bad cholesterol, but they are important things. Aside from following a low cholesterol diet menu and eating food prepared according to low cholesterol diet recipes, these things above will be very effective at helping you to fight off cholesterol without the use of medications.

Low Cholesterol Recipes: Good Cholesterol Foods

There are some foods that are excellent for your health, and these foods help to fight off the bad cholesterol. They do so by increasing the levels of good cholesterol in your body, and these good cholesterol foods truly are amazing. Here are a few examples of some of the best good cholesterol foods to eat:

Soy, which is low in fat, high in protein, and helps to nourish your heart.

Foods low on the GMI, which contain lots of fiber and very little sugar.

Fish, nuts, and avocadoes, all of which contain healthy fats that produce HDL and lower LDL.

There are many foods that you should try to eat more of, and these good cholesterol foods will be effective in helping you to get rid of all the bad cholesterol.

As you can see, the low cholesterol recipes and a low cholesterol diet menu will be important to follow, as they will help improve your overall health. They may not be your favorite foods, but you can love them for the simple fact that they get rid of all the bad cholesterol in your body.